In the U.S., people with disabilities have faced social and physical barriers for decades. Local groups and educators continue to fight to end negative perceptions and raise awareness of their abilities.

Fifteen years ago, the federal law, Americans with Disabilities Act, made it a violation to discriminate against any person with a disability. Since the act’s implementation, the employment rates for those with disabilities, more than 50 million, has not moved from 70 percent, according to a Harris survey.

Joanne Messina, a visiting assistant psychology professor at NIU, is attempting to squash this statistic on the local level by working with the disabled and building a planner program to find jobs. She has helped people with all types of disabilities by arranging personal care assistants, setting up interviews and educating employers of their negative bias toward disabilities.

“There is a lot of new equipment and technology improving accessibility,” Messina said. “We have computer access that we didn’t have before where people can write an entire report online and never really have a face-to-face interaction.”

Also, Messina defended employers, saying some don’t understand the process and have a lot of questions concerning liability insurance and accommodations.

“It’s just like any perception of a group of people,” she said. “If you had a bad experience with an agency or someone with a disability, then you might have a bias for them. Many times managers will say that they have to worry about their own job and they don’t have the time.”

The NIU student-club SPIN started with the goal to promote awareness and encourage integration between people with disabilities and those without. SPIN is made up of 11 core members, some with and some without disabilities.

“We’ve had a very positive response from the community,” said Lisa Gagliano, founder and president of SPIN. “People are really interested and it has really opened their eyes.”

Mike Krcmaric is a member of SPIN and an NIU graduate of family and child studies. Krcmaric has lived with a disability affecting his mobility due to complications during birth. The stigma attached to his disability, despite his qualifications, might have prevented him from acquiring a job since he graduated in 2003. Still, he maintains hope and doesn’t blame employers.

“It is a big leap of faith for them,” he said. “My biggest challenge hasn’t been the physicality of my disability but I put up a lot of barriers of my own relating to self-esteem issues.”

All of SPIN’s events are open to the public. Past events include a Hurricane Katrina recovery fundraiser, visiting undergraduate classes and a movie night. The next SPIN event is April 23: Cooking and serving a meal for Hope Haven shelter, 316 N. Sixth St. The time is to be determined.