Chad Crittenden Debunks Common Misconceptions
College campuses everywhere encompass a diverse student body, whether it’s students from different backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual identity or for those with or without a disability. Along with the varying amounts of individuals, there come a variety of misconceptions.
Chad Crittenden, CAMPUSPEAK speaker on overcoming obstacles, has come across many challenges since he lost part of his leg to cancer. He is constantly breaking misconceptions, from competing on Survivor:Vanatu to excelling in triathlons and snowboarding competitions.
Now, Chad debunks two of the most prevalent misconceptions that he’s come across on college campuses regarding students with disabilities.
1. A person with a disability or physical challenge is unapproachable.
When students find their peers with disabilities unapproachable, they typically don’t see that person as worthy of a friendship. Being physically disabled does not mean that someone is socially disabled. Often times there seems to be so little that an “able bodied” student has in common with someone with an obvious disability that it creates a barrier to regular interpersonal introductions and interactions. This is not true, and most will find that the only ‘difference’ people have with someone with disabilities is the actual physical difference itself.
Chad advises students wishing to overcome this obstacle to treat anyone with a disability as if the disability were obvious yet unimportant. Approach someone as a person, look into their individuality, and focuson their intelligence, personality and wit. Friends are made through kindness and trust, and those attributes certainly are not lacking amongst those with disabilities.
2. A person with a disability or physical challenge is less able
Another misconception is that a person with disabilities or physical challenge is unable to physically do or accomplish many of the things that ‘able bodied’ people are.
“I have a prosthetic leg, and if I’m wearing shorts and am sitting watching a pickup soccer game, not many people would ask me to join. I’ve had this exact experience. Little do they know that I’m an accomplished triathlete, marathoner, snowboarder, tennis player, and yes… a soccer player,” says Chad.
When looking to overcome this obstacle, Chad suggests that students ask questions about a disabled person’s interest in physical task, activities or sports. Often times they will reveal whether or not they like to do this activity or they may share stories about how they excel at it.
The hardest part for students who have never known someone with a physical challenge or have never had experience with those with disabilities becomes breaking the ice and getting to know someone who is seemingly different from them. It will quickly become obvious how the number of differences turns out to be fewer and more insignificant than expected.
“I would compare it to familiarizing yourself with a similar but different culture. The learning curve may seem steep. If you get past the initial perceived difficulty of asking what you might see as ‘difficult’ questions and find how many things you truly share in common, you begin to learn about the person, and not the disability. This paves the way to true acceptance and hopefully friendship,” says Chad.
In Chad’s keynote, Acknowledging Diverse Minds, Bodies and Spirits, he uses his Survivor experiences to supplement his own reality regarding the stereotypes and preconceived notions of those with physical challenges. His keynote is great for any Disability Awareness Month, character building or first year experience programming.
Check out campuspeak.com/crittenden to learn more about Chad and his available keynotes.
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