THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1, 2005
NEWS
3A
CAMPUS
Disability fair raises accessibility awareness
Julianne Kueffer/KANSAN
Tiffany Huggard-Lee, Columbia, Mo., graduate student, waits for the bus with her dog, Kain, a 6-year-old Great Pyrenees-Border Collie mix. Huggard obtained and trained the dog herself two years ago from Columbia Second Chance in Columbia, Mo.
BY SACHIKO MIYAKAWA smiyakawa@kansan.com
Groups such as AbleHawks present diverse information for students
Wescoe Hall is just across the street from Bailey Hall, but it can be a long and exhausting trek for Tiffany Huggard-Lee.
Huggard-Lee, Columbia, Mo. graduate student and graduate teaching assistant, is one of many disabled students at the University who often struggles to get around campus.
She injured her back while in the military and now suffers from a weakened left leg that often goes numb. She walks with a service dog and walking stick to support herself. Huggard-Lee said that although more people were aware of service dogs, some people touched her dog or were surprised by his presence in a building. She said promoting disability awareness was important for the quality of life of people with disabilities.
KU Professionals for Disability is sponsoring the first KU Disability Awareness Fair today at the Kansas Union from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fair will feature 28 informational tables of campus groups and community organizations that deal with various disability issues, including representatives from the music therapy program
and Student Health Services. October is also Disability Awareness Month.
S he a Obremski,
president of KU
Professionals
for Disability.
misconceived," Obremski said. She said people often thought disabilities only affected those who had them, but they actually affected people around them as well.
AbleHawks, a campus advocacy group for students with disabilities, will also present information at the fair.
Kain, her mobility dog, helps her balance as she walks and he keeps her from falling when her leg becomes numb.
Chiaki Gonda, vice president of AbleHawks, said some students didn't understand or recognize their own disabilities, especially learning disabilities. She said she hoped the fair would inform students about disabilities and provide help for those who needed it.
Gonda said a mission of AbleHawks was to increase accessibility on campus. At meetings, the group members regularly
"We need to be accessible to the community, faculty, staff and visitors."
said she wanted to address the availability of various resources to all people on campus through the fair.
"Disability is something often
DOT NARY Lawrence doctoral student
discuss inconveniences for students with disabilities. They also talk about building designs that do not follow the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1900, known as ADA.
Ramirez, ADA coordinator at the University, said the ADA was a civil rights bill that gave individuals with disabilities the opportunity to have equal access to public
Steven
What: KU Disability Awareness Fair
Sponsored by: KU professionals for Disability, The Multicultural Resource Center, Disability Network, Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center
Where: Kansas Union Fourth Level
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
services such as education and government.
Dot Nary, Lawrence doctoral student, said that although the University had to comply with the ADA, people had to investigate and point out the problems first to have them fixed. In the past, AbleHawks spoke to KU on Wheels to provide accessible bus services.
Nary gets around campus with a wheelchair. She said she had seen much improvement since she came to the University in 1996. She said the number of accessible restrooms increased and the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center also became more accessible. Nary said the University still had space for improvement, though, especially in creating a map and posting signs on campus to show accessible routes.
Nary said the demand for a more accessible campus had increased in the past 10 years.
"We need to be accessible to the community, faculty, staff and visitors." Nary said.
Edited by Brenna Hawley
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