Russell Serr is a professor of adaptive P.E. and pre-nursing and is the Future Disabled Leaders of America club adviser.

What is your disability?
I damaged my spinal cord in a car accident when I was 18 years old.

What adjustments did you have to make after being in the accident?
The hardest thing is dealing with how other people view those with disabilities. The physical part of it is tough; you learn how to adapt and do things in different ways.

Why do you think people have the attitudes or views they do about people with disabilities?
Sometimes people are afraid. They have never been around people with disabilities.

What things do you think could be done to change how people view those with disabilities?
The best way to change these views is to get more people out and involved in groups. Then people who do not have disabilities will get a different perspective of who they are.

What do you like about being a professor at EC?
I get to come to work and help people make themselves better. In my adaptive P.E. classes, some of the students’ quality of life was lousy, but then after they come to the classes they start to get out socially, they start to see that their body can do more than they thought, and then their whole quality of life and perspective changes for the better.

What other classes do you teach on campus?
I teach a lot of adaptive P.E. classes but I also teach a class for pre-nursing students. It is a good screening process because (students) get to work with people with disabilities and a lot of the students say, “this is great. I really want to do this now.”

What is your role as adviser to the club?
Every club needs an adviser. I give them advice on what to do with certain activities. They come up with most of the ideas; I just help plan them out.

What goals do you have for the FDLA?
I would like to have it increase its membership. I would also like to see the club be recognized by other people on campus so when someone says “FDLA,” they will know exactly what that is.