Native couple to compete in nationwide disability-awareness competitors – The Every day Evergreen

Mark, Vicki Leeper will play the virtual Jeopardy game; Awareness competition for Americans with Disabilities Act

WITH KINDNESS FROM VICKI LEEPER

Mark Leeper, pictured here, chose to work for the Disability Action Center Northwest because of his research into personal issues related to depression and anxiety.

A team from Disability Action Center Northwest in Moscow competes in a nationwide virtual Jeopardy game.

The competition will take place virtually today at 11 a.m., said CEO Mark Leeper. The competition will have 50 participants and Mark will start with a team of 10.

The competition is held to help people learn more about the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said. Contestants will have the opportunity to learn about the history and purpose of the ADA.

Community members can register to see the event on-line. Team members will stay in separate rooms during the competition. Outreach specialist Vicki Leeper said she was looking forward to the competition and hoped her team did well.

“I love Jeopardy and I’m really excited to see how it goes from here,” she said. “Although I’m one of those people who forget to put the answer in the form of a question when I see it on TV.”

The competition will most likely have strict rules as to when someone can use their clicker to answer a question, such as: B. wait until the question has been read in full. The team has been practicing this too, said Mark.

Vicki said some categories are complicated, such as those whose answers start with a certain letter.

“It’s always harder for me than just the regular topics,” she says. “I’m kind of curious how [the competition organizers] will interpret that. I think this will be entertaining. “

Mark said the competition will also highlight action centers for people with disabilities across the country and help communities know the centers are there for them.

The Northwest Disability Action Center serves Idaho, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, he said.

“We exist to serve these states, and we want these states to know that we are there to help them for free,” said Mark.

Mark said he chose to work for Disability Action Center Northwest because he had dealt with personal issues related to depression and anxiety, and had known people with physical, sensory, and developmental problems over the years.

He said he wanted to stand up for people who are having the same experience and build a community for people who feel they don’t fit in.

Vicki said she chose to work for Disability Action Center Northwest because her son has a disability that didn’t appear until he was a teenager, which has created a new dynamic in her home.

She said that when someone needs help working with a disability it is helpful to speak to someone who is experienced with what they need help with.

“You can come up with almost any life issue that has to do with disability, and someone here probably has an opportunity to help you with these types of peer-to-peer aspects, rather than an agency aspect or a medical model,” said Vicki.

Although Mark and Vicki haven’t participated in a similar event in the past, they both said they look forward to participating in this competition.

Mark said it was a new experience for him and that he looks forward to meeting people from other centers.