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Thr Red and Black. Thursday, March I, IS7M
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EDUCATIONAL CENTER
Test Preparation Specialists
Since 1931
Far Information. Please ( all
SHOPLIFTING
IS DANGEROUS
TO HEALTH!
x
WHEELCHAIR
TEST
For the next thirty minutes you will be viewing
an ad that has nothing to do with the opening line
It’s subterfuge Our trite way of forcing you to
notice that we make high quality copies for only 4
Cents And dissertations on watermarked 100 percent
rag paper for only 7 Cents.
No Minimum*—Across from Foodland
KINKO'S
700 Baxter Street • 353-8755
{ n Capn a
Pizzena
Italian Food Cooked by Italians.
Two Dining Rooms - Take Out Service
Beginning February 4, 1979
He will be closed on Sundays
and open on Mondays
Pizza, spaghetti, manicotta. ravioli, lasagna veal
parmigiana and other specialties
Hero sandwiches, ho! or cold
• Also serving exprevso and eappunno with cannoii
pastry
• Choice of 12 beers
wi imported and domestic wines
Monday through Thursday
I I fM) am-10:oo pm
Friday and Saturday
IMS! am-11:00 pm
Closed Sunday
50 Caines School Road 546-1578
across from Willowood Shopping Center
From p.S
I could already feel the
stares of passerbys Why were
they looking at me" Hadn't
they ever seen anyone in a
wheelchair 0 After all. I didn’t
look weird, did 1°
My wheels lost traction, my
hands got muddy, and I had to
be pushed up the first incline
With only one more gradual
slope between me and the
door. I tried to conquer it
alone
I failed Trying desperately
to move slowly up the grade. I
lost my forward balance and
fell over backwards in the
chair I was sprawled helpless
on the ground much like a fish
out of water
Setting myself back in the
chair I moved on into Bolton,
struggling with the heavy
doors but managing to get in.
The turnstiles prevented easy
access but the manager
assured me a loud but easier
passage through the emerg
ency door
All of this, for three meals a
day every day
An aspect of life on campus
that we all encounter is the
need to study Many times, this
involves a trip to the library
While many renovations have
made the library more acces
sible to handicapped students.
1 encountered unexpected pro
blems in my attempt to get in
Although there are two
spaces for the handicapped in
the library parking lot. both
were occupied by cars without
handicapped stickers, and
were rendered useless to me
Of course, campus police
could ticket and tow the cars
away, but what good would
that do me without a place to
park 0
Parking my car in a parking
space. I wheeled the chair up
the cut curb at the top of the
lot and got onto the sidewalk
and up to the library.
Using a key I had been
provided. 1 turned on the chair
lift at the library entrance but
misfortune struck again. The
lift didn't budge I tried again
and again with no luck.
Someone had to finally jump
up and down on the lift to get it
to lower to the ground.
Once in good working order,
the lift was a breeze as were
the new electric doors at the
front of the library. Entrance
to the library was a hassle in
itself but more problems were
to be encountered inside
Thousands of books were out of
my reach as were many of the
card catalogue drawers The
telephone books were inacces
sible. the water fountains hard
to drink out of. and the only
bathroom 1 could get my
wheelchair into was in the
basement
With the experiment in the
library complete. I headed
back out the doors and out to
the parking lot where I decided
to • walk" to the classrooms in
Journalism
Dodging cars and suffering
under long stares. I made my
way to the sidewalk along
Jackson but again ran into
problems There was a cut
curb to the sidewalk but a car
parked in front of it made is
useless
After being helped onto the
sidewalk, I started the roll
down the long incline toward
the Psychology-Journalism
complex Not having to pump
but hold on for dear life, my
hands grew red from holding
to the wheels as they turned
I was lucky. I made it to the
bottom of the hill all right and
with no cars turning right. I
quickly darted out into the
street when the light turned
green Because my legs are so
long and the foot rests had to
be so low. they scraped just
about everything There were
a few scary moments as I got
hung on the cut curb with the
light about to change
Pumping onto the PJ plaza
was no problem with the ramp
next to the north auditorium.
Entering the doors of Journal
ism. one of the most heavily
used classroom buildings on
campus, was not a major
problem either Bui easy street
soon came to a dead end
All of the history, music and
business classrooms on the
upper floors were totally
inaccessible in that I could not
negotiate the stairs. I could get
to the student services office,
among others for example, by
going back outside rolling
down the street, and going
down the ramp in front of the
building. But the classes such
as photography lab and the
various studios located were
off limits to me
One day in a wheelchair...
The story stands for itself and
the fact that "being paralyzed
is a whole lot more than not
walking.”
SPORTS
From p.5
There may been an adverse effect, however, on Beggs'
personality due to his bout with polio. "I think I overreact to
things like people opening doors for me," he said. "I have to
stop and tell myself sometimes, 'hey, people open doors all the
time.”’
In general. Beggs feels that most "people handicapped don't
wai t to be babied He thinks that for the most part they
aren » sitting around feeling sorry for themselves but "are
get < at and doing their own thing.”
Tiiat s pretty much what Jim Beggs is doing and the only
time Ik thinks about "handicap" is when somebody mentions
it to him
HANDICAPPED
COST
From p. 5
University has done a good job considering
where it started but it could have done so much
more without so much trouble and red tape
within the system."
"Part (of the delay in implementing plans)
we can understand It takes time to find
money,” said Hatch "But a lot of this delay
seems way beyond me."
Next fall, the director of OPIDS will graduate
from the University and responsibility for
dealing with the needs of the handicapped will
fall on the Office of Handicapped Services if
OPIDS fades out of existence
Under the direction of David Fletcher, this
office was formed last fall in compliance with a
federal law which requires all universities to
have an offical office for the handicapped This
office is a part of Student Affairs, and Feltcher.
Assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs, spends
approximately 25-30 percent of his time
working with handicapped students. A graduate
intern from Vocational Rehabilitation assists
him with some of his work
Fletcher said his office does not solve the
handicapped individual's problems itself but
"brings the problem to light" and discusses it
with the department which can best solve the
problem
"We are currently in an investigative stage."
said Fletcher, who hopes to soon relocate the
office which is inaccessible to handipped
students "We are taking it as a step by step
process We need to get self-oriented and see
what needs to be done ."
Fletcher is trying to contact each
handicapped student individually to update
records and see what specific needs exist.
Fletcher is also dispersing information to
vocational rehabilitation counselors and high
school counselors to make them aware of the
office's presence for handicapped students who
wish to attend the University
"It’s a mountain ilright," said a disabled
student referring to his struggle to receive an
education at the University. "But, I'm going to
.climb that mountain.
From p. 5
MARCH INTO SPRING
WITH MAIN STREET BRITCHES
Charter Buses?
For Group Travel
Call
World Wide
Travel Service
234
E. Washington St.
Athens, Georgia
404-548-1107
ICC Broker Lie.
MC 130364
already been implemented, others are in
process, but some haven't been started at all."
Meeting the Immediate needs of a
handicapped employee or student is one of the
recommendations with which the University is
actively working, several administrators
reported.
Registration and scheduling for the
handicapped are “walked through." an
interpreter was obtained for an employee with
a hearing impairment and special parking
spaces are designated for handicapped students
and employees. Reul said
One self-evaluation recommendation for
equal public campus transportation for the
handicapped is being met with a special van
that will provide campus transportation for
eligible handicapped students. Joseph W
Broadhurst. director of business services
noted
Stationed in the new printing building
parking lot, the van will utilize a radio dispatch
service for transportation around the campus,
but handicapped must provide transportation to
the parking lot, Broadhurst added
It’s going .to take time for some recom
mendations to become a reality. Providing the
same range of choices for housing as any other
student is another recommendation. "None of
our resident halls were built for the
handicapped." Reul explained. "We will meet
these requirements situation to situation."
Lack of personnel is a problem. Reul added
She is operating on a skeleton staff and other
departments will require additional staffing if
our proposed programs are to function.
Topography was repeatedly cited as the
culprit that made accessibility to campus
facilities extremely difficult. "The Lord gave
us two high hills with a valley in between "
Hudson said, "and that limits many of our
possibilities."
Reul pointed out that the University may
never have as many hadicapped students or
employees as institutions in flat areas such as
Texas. Florida or Illinois.
"There are some modifications that will be
impossible, but. we can work an additional
barriers. II we do that, the handicapped will
enrich our lives as much as enrich theirs,"
Reul commented.
"I feel that we’ve done one of the most
sincere and committed—not just lip service-
self-evaluations of any university in the
country,” Reul said. “Because we spent
hundreds of hours of effort, we will be able to
meet our recommendations and that makes
compliance feasible.”
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