On Sunday, Hearts in Harmony hosted an event that gave LSU students an opportunity to build connections with individuals who have physical or mental disabilities in the Baton Rouge community.
Called “Hanging with Hearts,” the event allowed LSU students to meet and interact with kids from the Baton Rouge area with disabilities.
Organizers helped to facilitate several activities designed to help participants bond with disabled children. Highlights included yard games, cupcakes and arts and crafts.
The Hearts in Harmony club was formed in January 2025 and is dedicated to providing support to children and young adults in Baton Rouge who are living with physical and/or mental disabilities.
The club also aims to show LSU students that people with disabilities can still form meaningful friendships with others.
“We’re just trying to kind of bridge the gap between LSU students and those with intellectual and/or physical disabilities in the community around us,” said Madeline Erickson, the president of Hearts in Harmony and a senior communication sciences and disorders major.
Erickson grew up with a physically and mentally disabled uncle, so she is used to interacting with people with disabilities. But when she came to college, she realized that was not the case for other students.
“Not everyone is so accepting of these situations or understanding,” Erickson said, “I think they just haven’t been impacted by it.”
Students who haven’t experienced what it’s like to live with a person who has a mental or physical disability might have a hard time understanding the challenges disabled people face in everyday life.
Caroline Bourdreaux, the vice president of Hearts in Harmony and a junior industrial engineering major, has grown up with a mentally and physically disabled brother. He was born with a condition called hydrocephalus, which means there is excess fluid in his brain.
Bourdreaux explained that her brother’s disability impacts the way her and her family view the world. They have to put more thought into simple, everyday activities that most people wouldn’t consider.
“We couldn’t just pile up in a car and go to the pool. You would be like, ‘Okay, well, is this pool easy access for my brother? Can he get in the pool? Will he have fun?’” Bourdreaux explained. “Like planning vacations, it’s like, ‘Oh, we can’t just go down to the beach. We have to rent a wheelchair.’”
Boudreaux says her relationship with her brother gave her a different perspective on the world, and she wants to allow other LSU students to see this perspective too.
“Be more considerate. Like, every person’s life is different. And just this point of view is so different from [most people’s],” Bourdreaux said.
Erickson and Boudreaux encourage LSU students to make an effort to connect with these kids because they aren’t defined by their disabilities.
“These kids are some of the happiest kids I’ve ever met,” Boudreaux said, “They’re just so fun to be around.”