8
Tuesday, December 7, 1971
University Daily Kansan
Invalid for a Day
TRAVERSING THE CAMPUS in a wheelchair is not easy as Linda Haas found out. She had to spend an entire day in the chair as part of her occupational therapy class. Climbing curbs and steps was the greatest problem, but in most cases some of her friends were very reluctant. Linda for several hours, but some of the time she was spent pushing herself around the campus. Some students couldn't avoid staring as they passed.
Photos by Dan Whitney
BY DIANE ARMSTRONG
Kansan Staff Writer
the challenge of a handapplied ha-
wre had resulted in over 35
occupational therapy students
enrolled in General Treatment
A student at the Caper Foundation for Crippled Children asked his instructors there, "How would you know what it's like to be in a wheelchair?" said Barbara Rider, assistant professor of KU at KU. Mrs. Rider was formerly an instructor at Caper's.
Realizing the necessity of this experience, Mrs. Rider said that the difficulties faced by students time becoming acquainted with the difficulties and bitterness of the class.
"To allow students at KU to gain this experience in a realistic setting, the class must follow his daily schedule for one day in a week."
EACH STUDENT MUST also assist other members of the class as a guider, pushing and maneuvering the chair on campus.
General Treatment Techniques is designed for the student who has little theoretical background and requires college in Nursing, Mrs. Hiderad
She said that students are given a situation in which a handicapped person has only limited use of muscles or limbs.
"Students are then asked to create tasks and procedures that the handicapped individual may accomplish," she said.
Linda Haas, Wheaton, III,
junior, one member of the class,
said: "We are learning to help
the individual enter the work-
force. In a sense, it is
bibliization—building up
muscles."
"We help them learn and enable them to make life worthwhile."
Mrs. Rider cited an example: "For a person who broke his arm, the physical therapist would exercise the arm in specific movements. The occupational therapist, in turn, would how to weave, help him to strengthen the arm and at the same time learn a vocation."
have had to deal not only with the physical problems of getting dislocated, but also with the psychological problems of being handcapped, according to Dr. Ritchie.
During the semester, students
"I felt that I was so obvious, and that everyone was looking at me," Miss Haas said.
SHE SAID THAT she became frustrated because she couldn't do all the things that she wanted to do.
A former student from Capper's expressed the thought, "Everybody is the same inside
"I just wear my handicaps on the outside; others wear theirs on the inside," he said.
"Most handicapped people are more normal than abnormal." Rider said. "People simply do not know how to react to them.
Mrs. Rider said that students their relationships with other students. Each student was asked to keep a diary and take notes at 15-minute intervals.
"AT FIRST, participants learn how to then gradually when people did not look back, they also began to avoid looking at others. Mrs
"Some students had good experiences and others had bad ones.
One girl was stuck in the grass, and no one stopped to help. One student even refused to help saying that he didn't want to be late to class." Mrs. Rider said. Two other students members were extremely ill during the day and others simply watched television.
Miss Haas said that she and her guilders, Debbie Dilley, Kansas City, Kan., sophomore; Debbie Rockville, Md., junior; and Sandy Thulh, Beloit, Kan., junior, problems on campus.
"WE COULDNT get into a telephone booth, reach a pay phone, or enter the bookstore or turn the turndles." Miss Haas said.
One girl went to the laun-dromat and put her clothes into the machine but could not get them out.
Miss Hass said that often it was more frustrating to the guider. She said she felt responsible for the individual in the chair.
"I was afraid that I would tip
the chair over or roll down a hill too fast," Miss Haas said.
Miss Haas said, "Sometimes it was fun and sometimes it was really a challenge, but I always day, I could get up and walk away."
MISS HAAS said that the experiment may have been more effective if fewer people had known about the program.
Mrs. Rider said that the first group had a more meaningful experience, because some regard the experiment as a game.
"Perhaps more people are simply used to seeing people in wheelchairs," Mrs. Rider said.
Mrs. Rider noted the architectural barriers for the handcapped on campus. She pulled a KU on a hill poses a stair problem.
State law requires that there be an access to all new buildings other than stairs.
Keith Lawon, director of facilities planning and operation, said that Wescow Hall will have a large kitchen with flat sidewalk to the ground level.
HE ALSO SAID that elevators would be installed so that all rooms in the building are accessible.
"In Strong Hall, there is access to a building door. A key operated back door. A key operated elevator allows physically handicapped people to react any way."
"Key elevators are also found in Summerfield," Lawton said. Last year, she usually found in the dean's office at each school, according to
"For a key to the elevator in Sicily, and in Nile River, you may check out a key, provided that he will not make a duplicated and will return it,"
Lawton said that there is a ramp into Blake and an elevator and a public elevator in Malott. The two buildings that do not hold窿ions for the handicapped in Green Hall and Marvin Hall.
"in such old buildings, it is not economically feasible to con-
tinue handling students with handicapped students are able to make arrangements with other students to aid them in reaching ground level, according to Lawton.
IT TOOK FIVE people to get Linda and her wheelchair up on the boardwalk so she could continue her journey. During the day Linda found that people were walking on the other obstacles. Sandy and a passer-by help her up the ramp at the Union, one of the few on
campus. Most buildings contain elevators which are available to handicapped students, but most of the buildings also have steps leading to the building which do Linda and Linda had to get out of the wheelchair and carry it up the steps.
FRUSTRATION waited for Linda at many points. The check-out aisles at the bookstore were wide, allow a wide wheelchair to pass. She had to pass the books along to the checker, hand the money to the cashier, and walk down the door. Simple tasks such as getting a drink of water proved to be very frustrating. Linda decided she would not go back to a wheelchair permanently.