Students try on disabilities for a day
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- Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 07:12:55 -0400
The Orion Online, California State University, USA
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Students try on disabilities for a day
By Amanda Drew
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: News
Students' eyes opened to different perspectives Thursday as they tried life
with limited vision, mobility and coordination in the Bell Memorial Union.
The Disability Simulation Fair is one of several events that aim to put
students in the shoes of disabled students during Disabilities Awareness Month.
"Some disability groups think an event like this is insulting because you can't
necessarily try on a disability," said Sandy Parsons, director of Disability
Support Services. "We believe it creates understanding."
Students tried on fuzzy glasses to simulate partial blindness and shot balls
through hoops with their non-dominant hand. They simulated hand disabilities by
putting paper clips together while wearing finger-restricting gloves.
Campus organizations facilitated the event, including DSS, the Americans with
Disabilities Act Committee and the Community Legal Information Center.
Armando Maldonado, a psychology major who is blind, has worked with DSS to get
all of his textbooks in Braille during his three years at Chico State. He
facilitated the blindness and Braille display.
"There are times when I have my hard days and struggle to get teachers to
understand my situation," Maldonado said. "But events like this are real
eye-openers to students that people with disabilities just learn differently."
Disabled students must learn how to advocate for themselves and not rely on
resources to help them through life, he said.
Nursing major Laura Meyers enjoyed Maldonado's display and learning about his
life.
"It was fascinating to hear how he navigates around campus," she said.
Other students tried a wheelchair simulation to get a sense of how disabled
students maneuver around Chico State.
"It gives (students) a different perspective of campus," said Allison Nicola, a
health education major who led the simulation.
Nicola has been in a wheelchair for five and a half years after she was in a
snowboarding accident. She hopes students will see using a wheelchair as
another means of transportation rather than a stigma.
"I remember what it was like to start learning how to use one of these things,"
she said. "I've treated it as more of a toy in my life."
About 60 students attended the event, but fair coordinators expected more, said
Hsuying Ward, director of the Student Council for Exceptional Students.
"This shows that disability awareness is not a big topic to students," Ward
said.
Raising awareness is the best way to change perceptions about disabled
students, said Parsons, DSS director.
"You can't write a law that tells people to like students with disabilities,"
Parsons said. "Attitude is born from understanding."
Amanda Drew can be reached at adrew@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://media.www.theorion.com/media/storage/paper889/news/2007/10/10/News/Students.Try.On.Disabilities.For.A.Day-3022690.shtml
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