Vol. XXVIII, No. 2 Penn State University, Delaware County By Sharon Achilles & Daniel Delaney Lion's Eye staff writers saal92 & drd5002 both @psu.edu Steven Kane (Soph./Comm) slow- ly makes his way up one of the walk- ways leading towards the Commons Building here on campus. He knows to put his body forward and watch out for cracks. Going over cracks too quickly can be dangerous. It is not funny, but hitting the slight- est crack the wrong way can send a student in a wheelchair flying. At Penn State Delaware County, where all the students are zooming on foot f from building to building, it can be | slow going up the campus' few steep hills when you have a place to be. Interestingly enough, however, Steven Kane can walk. He is one of the students participating in Disability Awareness Day, held here on campus last Thursday. The event was coordinated by the Senator for Students with Disabilities, Laura Burns (Senior, Edu), alongside Professor Sharon Manco, who 1s an education instruc- tor on campus. Last year's Disability Awareness Day had students utilize wheelchairs all day, with near disastrous results as vandals destroyed one of the rent- ed wheelchairs. The idea, in the past, was to have students spend their day in a wheel- chair. This year other disabilities were given more attention, while providing opportunities for more student participation. Specialists on loss of sight, loss of hearing, and learning disabilities were manning booths along the pathway that leads from the parking lot to the Commons building. They offered reading material and their own personal stories to students. Students were able to participate by interacting with activities that would allow them greater insight on what it feels like to be disabled. Visitors from the Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI) came to Delco to sup- port the event and let students know more about what it feels like to be visu- ally impaired. Jen Wilgus, a volunteer with the Center's programs, encouraged Delco students to blindfold themselves and attempt to spread peanut butter on crackers. This exercise let SGA Vice President, Crystal Bowhall (Junior/ Business Administration), and Burns experience a part of Jen's everyday routine. "If I didn't have the peanut butter right in front of me, this would be impossible!" said Bowhall. Burns frantically added, bh. "Where did my other cracker go?" bk CBVI representatives Candy Bantum and Joseph McCloskey brought special tools that help | those with sight disabilities get through their daily September 26, 2005 Penn State Delco: We're Ready; Willing and Disabled routines. For example, McCloskey displayed a cal- i culator that announces which key has been tapped during use and a magnify- ing glass that attaches to the end of a pen. This allows the writer to better see and write his or her sig- nature. Whether you realize it or not, American Sign ? Language (ASL) is the third most used language in the United States. There i are even students and fac- | ulty on campus who use it | inside and outside of the classroom. Jackie DeSalvo (Senior/ Media Studies) personally taught students how to sign out their names. She was helping out at the hearing loss demonstration booth along with Prof. Manco. "Some students on cam- pus lip-read." said Manco noting that not all hearing disabilities are extreame. To simulate what it's like for those with all levels of hearing loss, she used a recording that played a song at different volumes, corresponding to the severity of the person's disability. The recording also explained how hearing loss can also occur on specific frequencies, disallow- ing certain sounds, not just lowering the volume. The wheelchair races was one of the more popular events of the day. This year, as in years past, Shea (Senior/Comm) has been an integral part with coordinating Disability Awareness Day events. Spina bifida has caused her to use a wheelchair everyday. She sat on the sidelines cheering for stu- dents who took the wheelchair race challenge. Steven Kane, the winner of one of the races, talked about his experience. "It was a good exercise. I'm glad someone was behind me," referring to SGA President, Stacy Mann (Senior/Business), "The steering was more diffi- cult than I thought," he said. To aid those with spina bifida who were affected by hurricane Katrina, Shea was taking monetary donations that will be used to buy medical sup- plies. : At the same booth, Chris Cola, of Student Life started his new campus initiative called "The Wheel." This program's goal is to get more students to come Delco events by using a raffle to win a free iPod Nano at the end of the semester. Coia, Assistant Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development, started his new campus initiative called "The Wheel." This program's goal is to get more students to come Delco events by using by Dan Delaney and Sharon Achilles 2 i a raffle to win a free iPod Nano at the end of the semester. Madden NFL 2006 Football video game mayhem reviewed in Madden 06’ Page 5 INSIDE Student/Teacher profile.................. Page 2 | Entertainment...............c.ccceeeeeeee.... Page 5 Racsim at Delco.................covveeeneec..Page 3 | Editorial.............cccccoiniiiinnneencceen... Page 6 Around Campus Briefly.................... Page 4 | Facebook/ Myspace story................ Page 7 CrOSSWONd.......covrernerersnsessnssnsnssnnenee Page 4 | Sports profiles.......coerererserarsernsense. Page 8
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