An old organization is making a comeback, and a voice for the disabled community at Sacramento State. The newly organized Disabled Student Union (DSU), headed by graduate student Michelle Ellis, will serve as a forum for the disabled community on campus.

A number of plans are in the works for the DSU, with Ellis in charge of implementing them.

DSU Vice President Kristin Kaggerud said they want to “make the campus more aware, more disable friendly.”

According to member Glen Simpson, there are a lot of misunderstandings, especially about people with learning disabilities, like himself. He sees the DSU as “a chance for the invisible minority to become visible.”

Ellis is focusing on organizing bi-weekly rap sessions, informal meetings for DSU members and others to convene and discuss sensitive issues.

The rap sessions are one way Ellis hopes to inform people. She says misunderstandings can create anger in the disabled community. “Life is 90 percent attitude, so you better have a good one,” she said. She wants to encourage positive activism, instead of anger.

Ellis’s ideas for this positive activism include campus activities designed to involve the disabled community and the rest of the campus.

Kaggerud points out that many disabled students are not aware of all the services available to them. She said the DSU would work to connect students with counseling and academic advising.

A number of ideas are in the works to help the group achieve its goals. Among them are a finals survival kit full of tips and study guides. Kaggerud said they may get things organized in time for this semester’s round of finals. If not, it will definitely be ready for next semester.

Ellis and Kaggerud also have a wheelchair basketball game on the agenda. They are working on getting the Sacramento Cagers, a wheelchair basketball team, to come to Sac State for a game with students.

Two events are scheduled for the end of the semester. For the DSU’s last meeting on Tuesday, Simpson, a storyteller for the library, will be telling stories to the group.

The biggest item on the agenda is a silent auction scheduled for Dec. 10. The auction will go from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Lobby Suite of the Union. The group still needs donations for this event, which will raise money for future activities.

While it may take some time to get things going, the DSU members have a lot of ideas and are off to a good start. “We’re trying to rebuild the DSU,” Kaggerud said. The members see the DSU as a welcome and much needed addition to the array of organizations on campus.

for more information about the DSU, contact Michelle Ellis at [email protected].