Delta Alpha Pi Virtual Induction Ceremony

Welcome to the virtual induction ceremony for Delta Alpha Pi.
We are glad you're here. Delta Alpha Pi members are students with documented
disabilities who have achieved academic success and express an interest in disability issues.
Undergraduate members must have completed at least 33 credits with a GPA of at least
3.10. Graduate members must have completed at least
18 credits with a GPA of at least 3.30. Despite advances precipitated by the Disability
Rights Movement, the portrayal of individuals with disabilities in literature and popular
media has remained frozen in time and stereotype. A study of various media in which individuals
with disabilities are present reveals three major stereotypes: the disabled innocent,
the disabled inspiration, and the disabled evil.
The disabled innocent is designed to invoke our pity and often to open our pocketbooks,
such as during the Jerry Lewis Telethon. The disabled innocent is represented by Tiny
Tim in A Christmas Carol. The disabled inspiration, most famously seen
in Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker imbues the individual with "super-human" abilities
that compensate for the disability and inspires admiration and guilt in the non-disabled population.
The disabled evil presents characters whose physical deformities reflect their evil nature.
The obvious example is Shakespeare's The Tragedy of King Richard the Third.
When Shakespeare wanted his audience to view King Richard as an evil man, he created the
character with a physical deformity. There is no historical record of Richard having
a physical disability. But Shakespeare knew that his audience would
immediately connect a deformity with a wicked personality.
However, a paradigm shift is occurring. Instead of disability being seen as a problem
that resides with the individual, is negative, and needs to be fixed, an interactive model
is emerging, where the disability occurs through the interaction between the individual and
society. A disability is neutral, that is, neither
negative nor positiveE, and it is the interaction between the individual and society, rather
than just the individual, that must be altered. Because of the negative stereotyping associated
with disability, students have been reluctant to identify themselves publicly.
Delta Alpha Pi Honor Society presents an opportunity to change that perception3 by recognizing
students with disabilities for their academic accomplishments.
This honor society also facilitates development of skills in leadership, advocacy, and education
for student participants.
Alpha. A for Achievement. Alpha is the beginning and academic achievement
must come first. But also A for advocacy, because students
must advocate for themselves before they can advocate for others.
We light a candle to signify advocacy. Pi. P for Pride, pride in academic achievement
and in other accomplishments, not just as students with disabilities but as members
of the university community. Pi is a mathematical symbol we all learned
to use early on, so Pi is an appropriate symbol for education.
We light a candle to signify education. Please join me in the pledge as a new Delta
Alpha Pi member. "I pledge to continue my pursuit of academic
excellence, to demonstrate leadership in advancing the rights of individuals with disabilities,
to serve as a role model for other students with disabilities, to advocate for myself
and for other individuals with disabilities, and to assist with educational events through
my active participation in Delta Alpha Pi Honor Society."
Congratulations!You are now a member!