The WSU Access Center will host a two-day Disability Awareness Symposium today and Thursday to address issues regarding disabilities on campus.

Access Center Director Meredyth Goodwin said the purpose of the symposium, a new event, is to focus on equal access and opportunities for people with disabilities.

“I’ve been here for about seven years,” Goodwin said. “This is the first time we’ve done this in my time here.”

Davi Kallman, a professional development graduate assistant, will give a keynote speech Wednesday morning. She will talk about the importance of researching disabilities.

University Recreation Director Joanne Greene will discuss the changes made in the Student Recreation Center and the Chinook Student Center to help aid accessibility issues that students with disabilities might face.

“Disability is an area of diversity that is not often thought of when we think of diversity,” Goodwin said. “We often think about ethnic and sexual orientation and gender, but we don’t often find disability [in] the conversation.”

The symposium will take place in the Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Most of the presentations will be livestreamed on the Access Center website. The two keynote presentations will not be livestreamed, but will be recorded with closed captions and will be uploaded on the Access Center website.

Keynote speakers will have American Sign Language interpreters, and further accommodations such as braille and enlarged fonts will be available upon 48-hour request.