Reality TV star alumna returns to speak about disabilities

Nationally-recognized television star Amy Roloff will get her second chance to fill Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium at noon Friday.

So many people showed up to her speech in March 2007, some had to be turned away.

The Accessibility and Disability Advisory Council and On the Fly Productions are co-hosting Roloff’s speech.

“She will talk based on her own experiences about respecting, understanding and working with individuals with disabilities,” said Maxine Kent, disabilities coordinator and associate vice president of Human Resources.

Dani Hiar, OTF adviser, said some faculty have asked her if they can reserve seats for the show, but she is unsure whether Roloff will be able to fill up Plachta again.

“She brings her own following and the true fans are excited to see her again,” Hiar said. “It’s cool to have a pretty famous alumna on campus, and one that is willing to spend time with current students is a huge bonus on top of that.”

Roloff, from “Little People, Big World,” will serve as the Homecoming Grand Marshal too. She will have a float to ride during the parade and will be on the football field during the half-time ceremonies when the gold ambassadors are announced.

Hiar said she does not know if Roloff will visit with her family or if the TLC cameras will be with her.

“It’s possible – last time she was here, TLC came too,” Hiar said. “There was an episode on the show when she comes to visit CMU.”

Kent said the event is geared toward both faculty and staff.

“I think it’s a tremendous opportunity to be exposed to things that we aren’t usually exposed to and encourage people to attend if they can,” she said.

The event is a part of Disability Awareness month and is one of many events taking place on campus and throughout the community.

The ADAC hosts Dr. Stell Husch Oct. 13 in the Bovee University Center Auditorium.

“She is a well-known expert on handling disabilities and how to perform accommodations for the disabled,” Kent said.

For a full list of events hosted for Disability Awareness month, visit cmich.edu/ada/events.asp.

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