Amina
The In and Out Club
by Richard Bermack

Sept-Oct 2001

The Inside Out Club: For People with (Dis)Abilities and Their Friends
Amina is one of the program’s stars. “She is very intellectual and can be very articulate,” states Gary Gregerson, a community integration specialist. He recalls her participation in a Shakespeare class where she not only held her own, but at times even led the discussion.

Amina helped organized the Inside Out Club: For People With (Dis) Abilities and Their Friends. “Sometimes we are on the outside, and we want to be on the inside,” she told Gregerson, explaining the name of the club. The club has social and political activities, including speakers from DAMO, the Disabled Minorities Organization, which works to advance the rights of people of color with disabilities.

Gregerson has watched Amina bloom. “When she first came to the program, I would never have guessed that she would be taking the bus by herself and getting around town,” he says. She has worked as a paid peer counselor, explaining to other college students how to get around campus and how to get services. Her goal is to get a college degree.