Disability forum reveals challenges
Published Feb. 15, 2008
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Senior Tiffany Lee plays with her seeing-eye dog during an open forum Wednesday in the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center to address the needs of students with disabilities. Lee was the only student to attend the forum and spoke on issues such as transportation to the university.
Transportation, lecture hall seating and recreation center offerings top the list of challenges faced by disabled students on campus, said the only student who showed up Wednesday afternoon for the first open forum for MU students with disabilities.
Members of Chancellor Brady Deaton’s Persons with Disabilities Committee and the Office of Disability Services held the forum to find out what troubles disabled students at MU. Committee chairwoman Kim Anderson said disabled students often feel “invisible.”
“We really wanted the student voice,” Anderson said.
That student voice ended up belonging to one person, senior Tiffany Lee, who came to the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center to share her suggestions.
Lee said transportation problems were a primary concern, especially in evenings or during the summer when there is no bus service for disabled students. Lee also said bus drivers rarely enforce the disability seating policy.
“It would just be nice if some of the people that could stand would do so,” she said.
Another problem many disabled students face is the limited or awkward seating in large lecture halls, Lee said.
“I don’t mind sitting in the same place every day as long as it is accessible,” she said.
But unless she gets to class 15 minutes early, the only seats left are in the middle of the row, she said.
“Nobody is going to get up for me,” she said.
Interim Disability Services Director Barbara Hammer, an ex officio member of the committee, proposed that the professor notify the class at the beginning as to which seats are designated for disabled students. She said some simple signage might be all that’s needed to get the job done.
Lee said disabled students also want more accessible recreation. Disabled students can easily get into the Student Recreation Complex, but often there is nothing they can do there. She said wheelchair basketball is currently the only participant recreation set up for disabled students.
Lee said she tried to start a wheelchair-fencing club, but the recreation center refused to provide storage for her club’s equipment. She said an alternative could be power soccer for students in electric wheelchairs.
Hammer suggested setting up a student group that would fund activities. Lee, who will soon graduate, said this would benefit the disabled student population on campus.
“Sometimes it would be nice to have a place you can get together and just gripe with other people,” Lee said.
The next step for the committee and the Office of Disability Services is an open forum for faculty and staff members who are either disabled or have an interest in this subject matter, Anderson said. The meeting will be held at 4 p.m. April 16 in room 110 Memorial Union South.