Talladega College was awarded $10,000 in the second annual Ford HBC-You Mobility Challenge. The funds will be used to increase mobility for the visually impaired and blind. Talladega will partner with the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind (AIDB) to develop improved sidewalks with truncated domes, which are raised circles on the pavement used to alert visually impaired pedestrians when they have reached the end of a sidewalk. The domes will be installed outside Talladega College’s Dr. William R. Harvey Museum of Art, which houses Hale Woodruff’s acclaimed Amistad Murals and other great works of art.
Created by the Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford, the Ford HBC-You Mobility Challenge asks students, alumni, faculty, and administrators to design innovative mobility-based projects that address critical campus or community needs consistent with charitable purposes.
Talladega College President Dr. Billy C. Hawkins said, “Talladega College and AIDB are both student-centered organizations and we share a special bond. The innovative Ford HBC-You Mobility Challenge Grant will strengthen this bond while enhancing the lives of blind students at both institutions by providing them with greater mobility and independence.”
AIDB President Dr. John Mascia added, “At AIDB, we consider Talladega College our 'big sister' school. We love it when Talladega College Students and AIDB students spend time together because they realize when they get to know each other, how we have so much in common, even when we seem so different. We look forward to working together so that Talladega College students and AIDB students can learn from and inspire each other. Together, we are limitless.”
Talladega College Vice President for Institutional Advancement Seddrick T. Hill Sr. stated, “Talladega College and AIDB are both in the business of transforming lives through education and service. We share so many common values and we are both so excited about working together on the Ford HBC-You Mobility Challenge, which will allow us to enrich lives and positively impact our community.”
About Talladega College
The first private Historically Black College in Alabama, Talladega College was founded in 1867 by two newly freed slaves, William Savery and Thomas Tarrant. Today, Talladega College is ranked among the best regional colleges, top HBCUs, and best value colleges.
