The Maneater

Disability Services aims to change perceptions

Web-posted February 23, 2001
Erin Blatzer
Reporter

In an effort to increase the perception of people with impairments as differently abled rather than disabled, MU Disability Services has planned a series of dinners, displays and activities starting next week.

"It’s hard to get people to realize that people with disabilities aren’t different," said Barbara Hammer, the coordinator of student services for Disability Services. "Our goal is to impress upon people that people with disabilities do what everyone else does."

The events will begin with a banquet at Reynolds Alumni Center on Monday. During the dinner, a video will show people with disabilities doing things many might assume they couldn’t do.

Freshman Robin Cook, who has dyslexia, will be featured in the video studying by using Disability Services’ adaptive books on CD and using the center’s adaptive testing. Adaptive testing allows for accommodations such as a quiet room, a reader and a time extension so students with disabilities can be evaluated by the same standards as other students.

"I think it’s tremendously important that students, especially learning-disabled students, are aware that their office is there," Cook said. "A girl I know with Attention Deficit Disorder didn’t even know they were out there until midterms last semester, which can be too late."

Also during the dinner, awards will be given to three teaching assistants, two professors and another staff member in recognition of their efforts to support students with disabilities. In addition, there will be a performance by That Uppity Theater Company of The DisAbility Project. In keeping with the purpose of the events, the production aims to change perception about people with disabilities through humor.

The Adaptive Computing Technology Center will present a display of both soft- and hardware designed to help students with disabilities all day Wednesday in the Scatter Lounge of Memorial Union North. Displayed programs will include products with special spell checking and word prediction features for students with learning disabilities, as well as screen enlargements and reading programs for the visually impaired.

More athletic events are planned as well. The Student Recreation Center is hosting wheelchair basketball March 2 and a wheelchair relay March 10. The relay will consist of an obstacle course, a minefield that must be navigated and the relay itself.

Copyright © 2001 The Maneater