Page 8 THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1978
Handicapped students at A&M.
Life travels on campus
easier with special help
By KAREN ROGERS
Battalion Staff
Steve looked at his watch. Only
three minutes to make his 10
o’clock. He rolled his wheelchair
past the seal on the Academic Build
ing floor toward the elevator marked
"For Handicapped Students Only.
He reached for the button and
waited while the elevator slowly
creaked down to the first floor. Un
expectedly, the doors flew open
when the elevator reached its desti
nation.
Steve wheeled his chair into the
elevator, but as swiftly as the doors
had opened, they closed again,
catching him in the middle.
Fortunately, another student saw
him and helped Steve untangle
himself from the persistent doors.
Although this particular situation
is hypothetical, it happens each day
across the Texas A&M University
campus as handicapped students at
tempt to get to classes.
About 17 students attending the
University this fall are in wheel
chairs, says Ted Elliott, campus
counselor for the Texas Rehabilita
tion Commission.
For those students living on cam
pus who require special living
facilities, eight rooms in the Com
mons area have been specially de
signed to allow students in wheel
chairs better access.
The rooms, six in Aston-Dunn
and two in Krueger, are designed to
put everything within easy reach of
the student.
Ron Sasse, assistant director of
student affairs, says the rooms are
built with wider doors, low light
switches and thermostats, tilted
mirrors, sinks that allow a wheel
chair under them and a shower with
low faucets that is wide enough for a
wheelchair.
Roddy Dunnell, a sophomore en
gineering technology major who
lives in one such room in Dunn,
says there are still some problems.
"The thermostats are way up
high, he says, "and you can t see
how hot or cold it is. The wall plugs
are real low and they’re usually be
hind the beds.
"Also, the two highest priced
men’s dorms are the only two mod
ified.’’
YV. G. Ferris, area coordinator for
the Commons dorms, explains this
is because the needs of the hand
icapped students were just being
realized at the time the Commons
complex was being built.
Sasse says, “Were looking at
other resident halls to expand the
options. Legett will base some spe
cial rooms when it’s finished.
The Legett renovation is
scheduled for Fall 1979 completion.
Gary Gray, a sophomore political
science major, also lives in a special
room in Dunn.
"I feel ANM has done a more than
adequate job in providing facilities
for handicapped students, he said.
“It’s really quite nice," Gray says
of his room. "It’s kind of small for a
wheelchair inside. To make the bat
hroom larger, they had to squash
the rest of the room together.
Roth men agree there are some
places on campus they wish were
more accessible.
"A lot of the ramps and curb cuts
are too steep. Dunnell says.
‘They’re there, but they’re not too
convenient to use.
Dunnell has a manually operated
wheelchair.
Gray, who uses an electric wheel
chair, says, "If the ramps aren t just
right, then the wheelchair won t
pull it. He adds that most of the
ramps on campus are "designed all
right."
Elevators, a nocess ity to the
handicapped student who has a class
on an upper floor, also are a source
of discontent.
"A lot of tin' elevators are out
dated, Dunnell said, "like the one
in the Halhouty (geology) building,
It’s an olil freight elevator and to
close the door, you have to set a big
iron gate.’’
Gray is quick to point out (be
worst elevator on campus for hand
icapped students is in the Academic
Building.
"The reaction of the door is very
swift and if you’re not as swift, tbe
door closes on you. ’
Tlie elevator in the animal science
building, which he describes as "an
old 1900 freight elevator, ’ nnb
works half the time, he says, whicb
makes it difliciilt to get tolmdass
on tlu 1 second floor.
Some of the elevator controls art
just out of reach for students in
wheelchairs. Gray said.
I le adds he h as "more praise than
any thing for Texas A&M s hand
icapped facilities. The University'o(
Texas is the only campus he saysht
thinks might be better equipped,
but that campus is hig, which
doesn t lend itself to easy travelina
wheelchair.
Here, he says, he leaves only5to
10 minutes before his class to mala
it on time.
"Tlie main reason I came to Tens
AiscM, Cray said "is because it’s the
best university in Texas that had
what I needed — easy accessibility
and understanding profs.”
State agency assists students
Oscar Cardenas, a freshman accounting
major from McAllen, moves up the ramp pro
vided for the handicapped at the library.
Cardenas says that there are still a few minor
problems in attending classes and getting
around campus, but for the most part,
facilities for the handicapped are good.
Handicapped students, who need
financial or physical aid, can find it
at the Texas Rehabilitation Commis
sion (TRC) branch on the Texas
A&M University campus.
TRC, a state and federally funded
organization, assists students by giv
ing scholarships, job placement in
formation and medical help.
“YVe pay for the tuition and non-
A<b-M modifies buildings, curbs
ahead of 1980 HEW deadline
refundable fees and then depending
on the student s .situation, we take it
from there, says Ted Elliot, the
TRC campus counselor.
Elliot explained this could mean
paying for the student's books, room
and board and medical assistance.
Only students who have a perma
nent disability that would serve as a
vocational handicap are eligible for
aid from TRC, be said.
TRC also provides such study aids
to students as interpreters for the
deaf and tape recorders for those not
able to take notes.
Attendants for para- and quadrap-
legics are also available. These al-
tendants live with the student and
tend to all of his personal needs.
There is no charge for TRC ser
vices.
Elliot estimates there are about
212 handicapped students attending
the University on some type of TEC
scholarship this fall.
“Of these, about 41.4 percentarf
severely disabled, Elliott says.Us
is a handicap involving twooiwe
limbs or organs.
Students desiring an assistant
may make an application in the TRC
office. Room 146, in the Memorial
Student Center.
— Karen Rogen
By MICHELLE SCUDDER
Battalion Staff
Building improvement projects,
though seldom noticed, are con
stantly under way on campus. But a
drive to improve buildings will be
particularly noticed by 212 hand
icapped students on tbe Texas A&M
University campus.
An HEYY ; regulation, published in
June 1977, requires that all in-
stitututions of higher learning make
all programs accessible to qualified
handicapped students and person
nel. They have until June 3, 1980 to
comply with the regulation.
Texas A&M Chancellor Jack YVil-
liams appointed an ad hoe commit
tee in January 1978 to identify build
ings with architectural barriers and
to see what needs to be done on
campus to make all programs acces
sible. The committee conducted a
survey among academic depart
ments to establish priorities for the
requirement.
Gen. Ormond Simpson, assistant
vice president for student services,
says that hundreds of curb cuts have
been put in sidewalks and that tre
mendous progress is being made.
Simpson was a member of the ad
hoc committee that studied the im
provement project.
Simpson said Texas A&M did a lot
of work bef ore the regulation was is
sued because it recognized there
was a problem.
“All we’ve done is speed up a
program that was already in mo
tion,’ Simpson said.
“We don’t ever anticipate that
every building on campus will be
accessible to handicapped students,
just every program,” he added.
He said $35,000 has been spent
for work done so far, but there are
no specific funds for this purpose
yet.
Bob Cherry, assistant to the
chancellor, said the legislature
doesn’t make appropriations for
construction or repairs on university
campuses. He said the improve
ment project will probably be
funded by the permanent university
fund or local funds.
“We will ask the Board of Regents
for appropriations from whatever
sources may be legal, and approp
riated to the particular building
being planned,” Cherry said.
Tony Helger, of University Sys
tem Facilities, said work done so far
has been funded in conjunciton witli
various construction projects.
In order for a building to be ac
cessible to handicapped students,
tbe student must be able to get into
the building, the elevator buttons
must be at a height which can be
reached from a wheelchair, the re
strooms must be modified to ac
commodate a person in a wheel
chair, and the classroom must have
enough space for a wheelchair.
Simpson said all new buildings
and construction on campus comply
witli the regulation.
"It is economical and easy to
make a new building comply be
cause it is designed that way, but it
is very expensive to do afterwards,”
V
Simpson said. “It is $100,(KM) to put
an elevator in an old building,” he
said.
Simpson said that previously
when a handicapped student was
enrolled in a class in an inaccessible
building, the class would be moved
to a building that was accessible.
“This moving classes worked until
a student received a graduate assis-
tantship in finance,” Simpson said.
The finance department is located in
Francis Hall, a building inaccessible
to wheelchair students. "At this
time it became a requirement for
this student to actually get into this
building, so a concrete ramp was
built to meet his needs,” Simpson
said.
Simpson explained that Texas
A&M can build a dormitory on
campus that is inaccessible to hand
icapped students as long as there are
some dormitories that are accessi
ble.
All state universities are required
to comply with the HEW regulation
^ Pill
—— * -a - . M " Tfcl —
The Alternative . . .The choice is clear for most students, but universities must comply with an HEW regulation requiring
for those who don’t have a choice, the University has pro- all programs to be accessible to qualified handicapped stu-
vided ramps to facilitate mobility. By June, 1980, all state dents and personnel.
by June 3, 1980, also.
Norris Kurio, director of the
physical plant at the University of
Texas, said they also are well into an
improvement program.
“We’ve completed over half of
our sidewalk curb cuts, and outside
ramps, but we still have a lot to do
inside the buildings, Kurio said. He
said they expect to complete the
project in June 1980.
Kurio said the UT Board of Re
gents appropriated $1.5 million
from university Rinds for the pro-
gram for the next two years.
Bob Carter, staff architect in
charge of remodeling at the Univer
sity of Houston, said they have done
quite a bit. “We’ve added control
panels in elevators, modified many
restrooms, and added dozens of
ramps at curbs and buildings. Car
ter said. Although no official ap
propriation has been made for the
project Carter estimates that it will
problably cost the university $2
million to meet the requirement.
Battalion
photos by
Steve Lee
Parking areas, such as the area here outside the Biological
Sciences building, are provided for disabled or handicapped
students. A serious problem arises when unauthorized vehi
cles take up these areas.
Handicapped students
get more P.E. variety
Handicapped students who want
more physical activity than is of
fered by their adaptive P.E. classes
should try archery, swimming or rif
le ry.
Dr. C. YY ; . Landiss, P.E. depart
ment head, said that the student
may take any activity he or she can
get into so long as their participation
does not create undue danger to
themselves or another student.
He added however, that G. Rollie
White Coliseum “is not built for
handicapped students; there are no
ramps or elevators.
An elevator in the new addition of
the coliseum which is scheduled to
begin construction in November
will make all of G. Rollie White ac
cessible to handicapped students,
he said. Completion is scheduled for
fall 1980.
Patrick Patterson, who specialize
in working with people who haw
physical handicaps, has been hire®
by Texas A&M University this tl
and will interview handicapped shi-
dents during spring preregis(ration
to determine what kinds of P.E.
courses they would like to have.
Disabled students, like all Aggies,
are required by state law to take
four hours of P.E. before gradan-
h° n • —Karen Rogers