Last month, Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) received a gift of $1.5 million from the late Michael Bjerkesett, a 1971 alumnus and Charter Class member. Since I never had the privilege of meeting Mike, I started to inquire about him. That is when I received his biography, When Your Legs are Wheels, written by his sister, Marlene Jezierski. She writes about the tragic accident that changed Mike’s life. He lost the use of his legs when he was a 19-year-old college student at Bemidji.

After becoming a person with a disability, Mike searched for an accessible university where he could finish his degree. He found only two universities in the country. SMSU was one of them. SMSU has been an accessible campus from its early days, allowing students of all abilities to pursue their dreams. He decided to come to Marshall.

Mike’s is an amazing story and I can honestly say that reading his biography changed my viewpoint of the world. To honor his legacy as a well-known champion for people with disabilities, I would like to dedicate this month’s column to Mike Bjerkesett and his advocacy work.

Many of us face difficulties, but the barriers people with disabilities face have a bigger impact and happen at a higher frequency — making accessibility and inclusiveness even more critical. Disability affects 26% of people living in the United States, yet people with disabilities are among the most marginalized groups in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) describes the barriers facing individuals with disabilities as follows:

“Factors in a person’s environment that, through their absence or presence, limit functioning and create disability. These include aspects such as:

a physical environment that is not accessible,

lack of relevant assistive technology (assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices),

negative attitudes of people towards disability,

services, systems and policies that are either nonexistent or that hinder the involvement of all people with a health condition in all areas of life.” 

According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), the most common barriers that an individual with a disability faces are attitudinal, communication, physical, programmatic, social, transportation, and policy related. More subtle are the attitudinal and social barriers.

Attitudinal barriers come in the forms of prejudice, stigma, discrimination, and stereotyping. Social barriers decrease functioning among people with disabilities. For example, according to CDC, children with disabilities are almost four times more likely to experience violence compared to children without disabilities. People with disabilities are less likely to be employed, less likely to attain a high school diploma, and more likely to have income of less than $15,000.

From barrier-free access to education, employment, and services to creating and sustaining an environment that celebrates differences, disability inclusiveness is not only a social issue, but a human rights issue. Fostering an inclusive workplace as well as creating an inclusive society is our responsibility as human beings.

Inclusion means that all people, regardless of their abilities, disabilities, or health care needs, have the right to: be respected and appreciated as valuable members of their communities. Inclusion, at its core promotes involvement and empowerment. This means giving everyone not just a seat at the table, but an equal opportunity to share their voices and participate to the best of their ability and desire.

At SMSU we take pride in our accessibility and the opportunities we provide for the many students with disabilities who discover, engage, and lead on our campus. However, strategies are needed to make the University a resource for our community by providing educational opportunities for everyone.

I welcome you to visit our campus, get to know our students with disabilities, and see firsthand the barrier-free environment that has been a tradition of our campus since the first brick was laid. We have come far, but we must continue to do more to carry on the work begun by those like the late Mike Bjerkesett. He was a shining example of what is means to ‘do well by doing good.’ He dedicated his life to providing opportunities for others. We can do well by following his lead.