Anyone could wind up with a disability

July 20--Just because you don't have a disability now doesn't mean you won't have one eventually.

You could have a heart attack, a stroke or be involved in a terrible accident any day of your life.

That was one of the messages of Jeremy Johnson, who was operating one of the stations Saturday at the No Excuses fun run/walk and wheel disability challenge course. The event was held at Wylie Park.

Johnson spent more than four years in the Marines, where people are taught to adapt and overcome. Johnson and his family supervised one of the event's seven stations, where people learned to cope with limited dexterity. Participants had to unwrap small Tootsie Rolls while wearing gloves that reduced their fine motor skills.

People with disabilities, Johnson said, have to find ways to adjust. In his job as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, he helps people find ways to adapt. Most people want to become contributing members of society, he said. Those who don't adapt to a disability often develop additional mental or physical conditions, he said.

At another station, people donned goggles that made them unable to see and tried to hit a softball and kickball that beeped.

"Just because you're blind or have vision loss doesn't mean you don't want to move around and get exercise," said Dawn Brush, of Aberdeen, who is blind.

The balls, though not loud, beeped regularly. At about 9 a.m., one of the participants, Rod Fortin, gestured toward the campground nearby. "Can you imagine the campers are all thinking their alarms are going off?" joked Fortin, who lives in Tea.

For the event, seven stations were scattered throughout Wylie Park. At one of the stations, people learned what it was like to travel in a wheelchair. The final stop encouraged people not to use the "R" word.

No Excuses was presented by the Aberdeen Mayor's Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities.

The gathering is meant "to allow people to come out and see some of the challenges people with disabilities face on a daily basis," said Eric Vetter, who's a member of the committee.

"We're all one in this community," Brush said. Whether with disabilities or without, "We're all here to thrive."

In the past, No Excuses was more of a 5K run. Although two young men ran the course Saturday, it has evolved into more of a disability challenge course, Vetter said. The route has been shortened and more stations have been added, said Laura Stoltenberg, another member of the Mayor's Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities.

The main goal now is for people to experience the obstacles faced by people with disabilities, Vetter said.

The event also celebrated the 24th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Follow @JeffBahr_AAN on Twitter.

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