Opinions f
Class studies handicapped experiences
By LaVerna Fountain
“You can’t judge another’s
lifestyle until you have walked a
mile in his shoes.’’ Sound
familier? Students of the Basic
Preparation II (BP II) course are
finding out what that cliche
means.
Professor Robert Lesniak,
Associate Professor of Education,
requires students of BPII spend a
day in a wheelchair as part of his
course. The total package is call
ed Sensitivity Training, designed
to give the future elementary
educators a deeper knowledge of
what it is like to be handicapped.
Lesniak said, “Based on
Federal Public Law 94142, the
Mainstream Act, handicapped
students have a right to public
education. The reality is that
most teachers are unaware of the
problems handicapped students
face.”
“Teachers should feel empathy
Status of handicapped elevator examined
By LaVerna Fountain
A common sound at Capitol
Campus is the paniced yell for
help from wheelchaired students
towards the handicapped, not
sympathy. They must learn to
respect each indivdual’s potential
and ability. This course helps the
soon-to-be teachers experience a
little of someone else’s world.”
One student, Ann Hartzfield,
has already spent her day in the
wheelchair. She said, “In one day
we must go to the records office,
bookstore, Lion’s Den, and
library. It is difficult. My arms
were sore before the day was
over. The doors are far too heavy
and to do simple things takes
tremendous effort.”
For example, using the soda
fountain in the Lion’s Den prov
ed to be a horrendous experience
for one student. Not able to see
how far her cup was filled, the
soda overflowed causing commo
tion and several students to run
to her aid. Trying to get in and
out of the latrines placed scrapes
and bruises on several of the
participants.
stranded on or between floors.
The panic comes around class
times when the freight elevator—
the only means of wheelchair
transportation between floors
here-is being used for freight or
Photo by
Barb Thompson, who was in
volved in an automobile accident
at the age of 24 and is classified
Bee Alien
LoLiv YLU
PARKING
when someone has forgotten to
close the heavy elevator doors.
According to Dennis Cannon,
engineer for the United States anc
Transportation Architectural Bar
rier Compliance, “The latest stan
dards for the handicapped
elevators include doors that close
automatically, are electronically
sensitive to any obstruction
without the doors actually
touching the person or object and
is not for freight use.”
Pennsylvania’s Department of
Labor in Industry in 1972 granted
a special permit to Capitol Cam
pus and allowed for temporary
use of the freight elevator by han
dicapped persons.
Lynn DiClemente, Department
of Labor and Industry said, “The
temporary permit was granted
with the understanding that it
would be used by the handicap
ped and inspected yearly. As long
as the elevator passes inspection
there will be no reason to rescind
the permit.”
Handicapped students are ex
periencing problems with the
elevator. Unless the door is closed
completely, the elevator will not
move.
Handicapped persons have
been stranded or late for classes
because of their inability to in-
form persons on other floors to
close the door.
Assistant Provost-Dean, Duane
Smith, said a proposal has been
sent to University Park to modify
the existing elevator shaft.
Although Smith did not make
] Page 9
as a quadraperetic, said, “The
more people who participate the
better. You cannot know what it
is like until you are actuallu
dependent on a wheelchair, and
as an experiment, you have only
scratched the surface of the han
dicapped’s world.”
“When you are experimenting
with a wheelchair you realize you
will be able to walk away. You
don’t have to deaf with the emo
tional impact of being handicap
ped,” Barb added. “But I‘m glad
someone has taken the initiative
to do this. More people need to
be involved and learn what it is
like to be in a wheelchair;
especially if they will be working
with handicapped children.”
The sensitivity training has
allowed students to understand
more clearly what it is like to be
confined to a wheelchair. As
Hartzfield said, “I am in awe of
the ability of the confined to get
around. They are beautiful.”
public details of the proposal, he
did disclose that a cost figure of
$lOO,OOO is being considered.
“We’ve discussed the elevator
issue at different times down
through the years, the last time
was when we modified the
library,” Smith said, “ But
because an elevator would have to
go all the way down to the Lion’s
Den area, we have not been able
to come up with a feasable plan
“The temporary permit
was granted with the
understanding that it would
be inspected yearly.”
Lynn DiClemente
Dept, of Labor and Industry
to construct an external elevator
Therefore, we have to look to
modifying the existing shaft.”
Smith said the elevator would
remain on a temporary approval
basis.
“If we pushed for some sort of
permanent approval, we would
probably have to go without any
type of elevator for handicapped
use,” Smith said.
Dr. Jerry South, Director of
Student Affairs, said that
statistics show that there are
about 25 handicapped persons on
campus.