The U-M Council for Disability Concerns’ annual Investing in Ability series begins Wednesday and concludes Nov. 9.
Throughout the month, Investing in Ability events will invite conversation on the biological, legal and personal impact of addiction in our lives.
“Addiction is a critical and growing issue throughout our society, in all communities, regardless of economic status, education, gender or cultural context,” said longtime Investing in Ability organizer Anna Ercoli Schnitzer.
“This year’s Investing in Ability events will explore the nature of addiction, existing and emerging treatment approaches, and new research that can help us understand its true nature and work more effectively on its remediation.”
Highlights of the events will include expert presentations on identifying and explaining a broad variety of addictions, such as substance abuse (drugs, tobacco, alcohol), eating, gambling, hoarding, technology and others.
Authoritative sources will provide resources for combatting addictions, and will extend hope for recovery that will lead to a better quality of life.
University students and staff will share their personal stories of recovery, and “The Anonymous People” film screening will document the 23.5 million Americans living in long-term recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction.
Service, assistance and therapy dogs will be on campus to provide several opportunities to interact or simply get a complimentary cuddle.
Investing in Ability Week events culminate with the increasingly popular Army-Navy wheelchair basketball game.
Investing in Ability is presented in collaboration with University Human Resources, University Health Service and the U-M Health System. All activities are held in accessible locations. They are free of charge and open to all members of the university community and the general public.
Events include:
• Oct. 1 — Belief, Hope and Generosity in the Workplace: Hiring Individuals in Recovery, Ari Weinzweig/Zingerman’s, 7-8:30 p.m., Ann Arbor District Library, Main Branch.
• Oct. 17 — Expert panel discussion, Addiction: Understand It. Overcome It, noon-1 p.m., Danto Auditorium, Frankel Cardiovascular Center.
• Oct. 20 — Substance Use and Nurses: Risks, Rights, and Responsibilities, Professor Stephen Strobbe, School of Nursing, noon, University Hospital Ford Auditorium.
• Oct. 22 — Recovery: A Personal Story, Eric Hipple, Depression Center (former Detroit Lion), 1:30 p.m., Institute for Social Research, Room 6050.
• Oct. 24 — James T. Neubacher Award and Certificates of Appreciation Ceremony, 9:30 a.m.-noon, Assembly Hall, fourth floor of the Rackham Building.
• Oct. 27 — U-M Students in Recovery Panel, 4:30-6 p.m., Assembly Hall, fourth floor of the Rackham Building.
• Nov. 9 — Army-Navy Wheelchair Basketball Game, 6:30 p.m., Crisler Center.
