Residents help improve accessibility

Six awards recognizing those who have helped improve the community for people with disabilities were presented at the City of Bloomington’s Council for Community Accessibility awards ceremony Monday night.

The awards, which ranged from self-advocacy to volunteering, were presented to community members who were nominated by peers.

The Council for Community Accessibility is a volunteer group advocating for the interests of people with disabilities.

The group was originally founded in 1990 as the Community Council on Handicap Concerns.

The CCA promotes awareness of the challenges faced by people with disabilities and works to develop solutions to problems of accessibility in the community.

Katie Herron, chair of the council, said the awards were focused on recognizing people who care about improving the lives of people with disabilities and go above and beyond their ability to help.

“The awards are for those who show they care about the issue and have done more than what was expected of them,” Herron said.

Indianapolis Colts community spokesperson, Josh Bleill, opened the ceremony with a speech.

Bleill, who served in the United States Marine Corps, talked about his military experiences as well as his life-changing challenge of losing both his legs in Iraq in 2006.

Bleill said after overcoming the challenge of adapting to this life-changing event, he began to receive support from community members, including people he didn’t know.

“I knew I had to take that first step and wait a certain amount of time,” Bleill said. “My life was much different. It changed. Their support is what kept me going.”

Bleill, who spent 22 months in the hospital, was offered a job by Colts owner Jim Irsay as a public speaker, where he speaks at about 200 events per year.

Bloomington resident Jessica Troxel received the first award of the night, the Self-Advocacy Award.

This award recognizes a person with a disability who effectively uses resources to meet his or her own needs — including education, employment and housing — and strives toward independent living, leading others to do the same.

Troxel, who lost her left arm in 2009, received all A grades after enrolling in Ivy Tech shortly after her life-changing experience.

She is currently a youth advocate at the Monroe County Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children.

The Business Service Award, which recognizes a business that significantly employs people with disabilities or goes beyond the minimum requirements in having accessible services, was presented to the IU Campus Division and its manager, Mike Girvin.

In addition to spending 11,000 hours picking up trash on campus, Girvin said his working crew has also helped build patios, stonewalls, handrails and other features to help make IU a more accessibility friendly environment.

“I’m a working man,” Girvin said. “The people working for me do the things that make IU one of the most beautiful campuses in the country.”

Concluding the ceremony was the Mayor’s Award, presented by Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan.

This year’s recipient was the CCA’s Katie Herron, for her involvement and leadership with the organization.

Part of Herron’s work is monthly meetings offered by the CCA at City Hall that are open to the public who are interested in helping those with disabilities.

In addition, Herron has also dedicated her time to improving the city to make it more disabled friendly by fixing sidewalks and other public access areas.

“Katie is a true leader, and the CCA appreciates it,” Kruzan said. “No one is more deserving of this award.”

Follow reporter Brett Frieman on Twitter @brttfrmn.