Mental health and disabilities are not, and never have been, easy topics to talk about. Conversations about each topic are often filled with incorrect stereotypes and assumptions that are simply wrong. Last Wednesday, the Hamline Staff Diversity Committee continued the attempts by Hamline groups to increase awareness and discussion about difficult topics by hosting a seminar entitled “A Conversation on Mental Health and Disability.” This seminar was led by Stephen Anderson, Hamline’s recently hired Director of Disability Resources, and Hussein Rajput, Hamline’s Counseling and Health Services Director.

“The Staff Diversity Committee have been doing a series of programs and they were looking to do one on mental health,” said Rajput. “We thought we would include a disability aspect to it as they are so closely linked.”

The seminar that Anderson and Rajput put together was fairly well-attended, as over 30 staff members were in attendance. There were activities run and questions asked by all.

“We wanted to break down barriers to talking openly about mental health,” Rajput explained. “A large number of people are statistically likely to eventually experience either a mental health issue or some sort of disability at some point in their lives, and we wanted to help people understand that it’s okay to have these problems.”

Anderson added, “we wanted to give people a better idea of mental health and disabilities and how they intersect with one another. During the seminar, participants asked what can be done to make people feel okay with being ‘out’ with their disabilities and mental illnesses they might have.”

The seminar only lasted an hour, and both Anderson and Rajput felt that wasn’t enough time.

“We touched on stereotypes and common things people say in their lives that indirectly affect those that do have those problems,” said Rajput. “We did this seminar in an hour, and an hour is not enough time to dispel all the stereotypes that people have. We want people to be comfortable enough about their problems that they feel safe to come and talk to us.”

Anderson talked about a few things he would like to see Hamline accomplish for those who are disabled.

“A number of buildings, including older buildings such as Old Main, are not accessible for many disabled members of the Hamline community,” he said. “I would love to have increased access to buildings as well as an openness that can benefit the Hamline campus as a whole.”

If you have any concerns about disabilities or mental health questions, talk to someone in the counseling office or to Stephen Anderson in his office in Bush Center.