Monday, March 01, 2004
Disability speaker ‘on a roll’ at USI
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The founder and host of On a Roll Radio: Talk Radio on Life with Disability will speak at University of Southern Indiana Tuesday, March 2, in conjunction with Disability Awareness Month. Greg Smith’s free public presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Mitchell Auditorium in the Health Professions Center. He also will deliver a Lunch and Learn program for the University community at noon March 2 in Room 201 of the University Center. Born in rural Mississippi in 1964, Smith was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at age 3. After spinal surgery 10 years later, he began using a wheelchair for mobility. While a high school student in Illinois, he supported the Downers Grove South football team from the sidelines until his band instructor designed a foot control for his power wheelchair. Then Smith began to play the drums in the school’s marching band. A love of football brought Smith to radio. He traded his drumsticks for a microphone and became the play-by-play announcer for the student-run community radio station. He then worked in college radio for four years and earned a B.A. in broadcasting from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Following graduation, he worked as a member of the marketing team for KTAR/K-Lite radio stations in Phoenix before resigning in 1992 to launch On a Roll on KFNN 1510-AM. On A Roll now airs on 40 radio stations across the country, and Smith is a recognized speaker on topics including self-definition, motivation, and disability issues. The USI/Epi-Hab Center for Disability Studies is sponsoring Smith’s presentations on campus. |
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