University Daily Kansan / Thursday, November 29, 1990
5
Disabled people help society
Kansan staff writer
By Monica Mendoza
At a forum last night addressing the contributions disabled people can make to society, Rud Turbull, co-director of the Beach Center for Families and Disability, described how his work had its roots in his son's disability.
Turnbull, who has worked at the center in Haworth Hall for about two and a half years with his wife, Ann, said that since his son's birth 23 years ago he had focused on helping people understand disabilities.
At yesterday's forum at Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave., Turnbull said that people with disabilities could contribute to both the world and their families.
"A large part of what Ann and I have done mirrors our beliefs," he said.
Turnbull, professor of special education and law, deals with the issues of values and ethics that involve the rights of people who are disabled. He created the Beach Center to conduct research and establish a national movement based in Kansas on behalf of the parents of children with disabilities.
He said the civil rights revolution for disabled people began in 1854 with the court case Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education. The landmark case brought an end to segregation in public schools.
But the rights of disabled people began to be recognized as well.
"The revolution occurred because a precedent was laid by Blacks and women, he said. "Without that, the slave system would continue."
He said expectations had risen for people with disabilities.
"The old view is society says to a person with a disability. 'Don't expect to learn too much,'" he said.
"The way in which people look at each other makes all the difference." Turnbull said.
But a breakthrough has been the changing attitudes of society
Jay Turnbull, Rud Turnbull's son, is mentally naive when Jay, 23, was born, his brain was pushing through his brain.
"We were told the best thing you can do is institutionalize him." "Durben said.
Society had portrayed people with disabilities as constant burdens, he said.
But Turnbull rejected that portrayal.
"People with disabilities make positive contributions to society and to their families." he said.
Allison Penka, Ingalls junior, attended the forum. She works with autistic children and teaches them to read.
Penkia agreed that society had come far in changing its attitudes toward disability. She said that when she was a child, her parents were very negative about it.
"Now, people don't look at them like that, because they can take care of themselves," she said.
Turnbull's son lives in his own home with three roommates.
Turnbull said disabled people could take care of themselves, but society had to give them a chance to make their own choices. People should begin building self-reliance in the disabled people and stop taking advantage of them.
"It would help educate those with disabilities and those without disabilities," he said. "It would establish a new generation of leadership."
Turnbull said he was dedicated to changing society's views about disabled people and creating more choices for them so that they could choose where they wanted to live or work, as his son Jay has.
Project will improve Towers
Bv Tracev Chalpin
Kansan staff writer
The Department of Student Housing soon will begin work on projects to make the Jayhawker Towers area more accessible to disabled residents, said Ken Stoner, director of housing
Stoner said the projects would create accessible entrances, apartments and walkways in the complex.
The first project, which includes plans to make entrances accessible, will start as soon as financing and construction parties sign the final contact, he said. The project will cost $84,000.
Don Niemack, principal with Hansen Midgley Niemackl Architects, based in Overland Park, said the building entrance project included plans to remove the stairways at the main entrances of the four residential buildings in the complex and to replace them with sloping walkways.
The long stairway on the west side of the complex going down to Building B will be removed and transformed to a rooftop.
Stoner said that the second plan for accessibility changes to the complex would include transforming four apartments on the first floor of Building A into two
accessible apartments. The third plan will include creating slioped walkways throughout the complex.
In order to make the apartment accessibility changes, two apartments, each with the capacity for four residents, will be transformed to one apartment with the capacity for six residents. Stoneer said
Residents of the two apartments will share an accessible kitchen and will have one instead of two sinks in the kitchen.
Accessible apartments are a must, Stoner said.
"You say 'Nobody has ever requested one,' but you build more and get more requests," he said.
Jeff Vicina, who lives in the only accessible Towers apartment, said he decided to live there because residence hall rooms were too small.
Wicina said he was not sure if a shared kitchen for as many as six people could work but that accessibility would depend on the size of the house.
"If I was a student looking at KU, and if I was in a chair and they didn't have anything accessible, I would wonder how teachers were going to treat me," he said. "It's good to see that (the housing department) is doing something; they're not just going to do it for me."
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Meet the Macintosh* Classic* computer. It's the most affordable Macintosh, yet it can handle a variety of basic home, office, and classroom applications, such as word processing and spreadsheet analysis.
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WOMEN AND AIDS
Over 150 countries around the world including America have designated Dec. 1 as World AIDS Day to draw public attention to the AIDS epidemic. This year's theme is Women and AIDS to reflect its increasing impact on them. The World Health Organization projects that 500,000 people will develop AIDS in 1990 and 1991; of these, 200,000 will be women. More women will become ill with AIDS than have developed it during the past decade.
For more information about HIV and AIDS, contact the HIV/STD Education Committee at Watkins Department of Health Education, 864-970.
English Alternative Theatre presents
The Way We Live by Susan Sontag
André's Mother by Terrence McNally
2 short plays about people living with people with AIDS directed by Paul Stephen Lim
November 29 & 30 and December 1, 8 p.m.
December 1 & 2, 2:30 p.m.
Spencer Art Museum
Reservations 864-4710, $5 contribution at the door.
Proceeds after expenses to benefit
Douglas County AIDS Project.
The University of Kansas
HIV/STD
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
"THE WAY WE LIVE NOW" & "ANDRE'S MOTHER" By Susan Sontag By Terrence McNally
Directed by Paul Stephen Lim
K.U. Spencer Art Museum
8:00-Nov. 29-30 & Dec. 1
2:30-Dec. 1-2
$5 contribution at the door
Reservations Tel. [913] 864-4710