Education
A group of volunteers spends a week in wheelchairs to learn about the challenges facing their handicapped classmates.
08:14 AM EDT on Thursday, April 15, 2004
PROVIDENCE -- Chris Fernandes is 6 feet tall and weighs 195
pounds, most of it muscle. A physical-education major, he loves lifting
weights. He also uses a wheelchair.
Yesterday morning, his physical-education class moves outside to measure
their stride or pace. "Walk naturally," his professor, Karen Castagno,
tells everyone.
For Fernandes, she modifes the exercise, marking one of his wheels with
a piece of blue tape. She tells him to count each rotation, which she
says will be the equivalent of one stride.
It starts to rain. Water pools in Fernandes' lap, soaking the seat of
his chair. When he's on the move, he cradles an oversized blue umbrella
in his lap.
When the class goes back inside, everyone but Fernandes takes the
stairs. He takes the elevator. When the door closes, it shuts out the
easy chatter from the hallways.
"I feel a little out of the loop," he says.
After class, Fernandes, wearing jogging clothes and a trim beard, wheels
uphill, toward the library. Already winded, he pauses before a steep
ramp. "Need a ride, man?" a young man asks, then pushes him up the ramp.
"I don't like asking for help," says Fernandes, a junior from
Cumberland. "I'm very stubborn. It's an ego thing, I guess."
In the Donovan Dining Center on the Rhode Island College campus,
Fernandes goes to get a cup of coffee, but the counter is too wide. It
doesn't matter. He can't carry an open cup of coffee and maneuver his
chair, especially when there are ramps and bumpy roads to negotiate.
By the end of the day, Fernandes' arms and shoulders ache; his hands are
blackened from handling the wheels.
This week, Fernandes and seven other students had a chance to experience
campus life through the prism of someone using a wheelchair.
During lunch yesterday, the students gathered at the Unity Center to
share what it was like to navigate Rhode Island College from a different
vantage point.
Jetzabel Rosado, a freshman at RIC, read from her journal:
"I kept getting stuck," says Sarah Damueda, a freshman. "I wanted to
cry. By the time I got to class, I was wet and stinky."
"I rolled from point A to point B and my arms were killing me," says
Nyisha Conry, who only lasted 10 minutes. "I was banging into walls. I
couldn't get out of the door."
While most of the students were treated with kindness and respect, a few
experienced the casual thoughtlessness that disabled people sometimes
endure.
When Stephanie Alexander wheeled into the dining hall to buy a deli
sandwich, the cashier said, "Hurry up. I don't have all day."
"Some of my friends didn't say hi to me," Rosado says. "They didn't want
to have anything to do with me, but I'm the same person. I didn't
change."
Access Challenge was the brainchild of Dana Wright, a student intern in
the multicultural affairs office who relies on a wheelchair to get
around campus. The program was sponsored by the Unity Center and the
Office of Student Disabilities.
Besides getting a wheelchair, each participant received a camera and a
journal to document their thoughts and feelings. Some students did it
for a day; others, like Fernandes, are doing it for a week. Gary
Penfield, vice president of student affairs, attended a day's worth of
meetings in a wheelchair.
In February, the college held a four-day training session on disability
awareness for faculty and staff. Another session is planned next month.
"It's one thing to be in compliance" with disability laws, says Aaron
Bruce, director of the Unity Center. "It's another thing to be
welcoming."
The experience was nothing short of revelatory.
"I always empathized with Dana before," sophomore Kemi Price says. "Now
I know what it feels like."
Says Rosado, "I won't ever take my legs for granted."
More education stories
North Kingstown High School principal won’t get new contract
Most Viewed Yesterday
R.I. Bishop Tobin has testy exchange with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews
Providence Bishop Tobin says Kennedy ‘erratic’ — but he’s not referring to mental-health issues
Head nurse testifies in Woods’ suit
Native American artifacts thousands of years old halt sewer installation in Warwick, R.I.
Most active surveys
Should URI consider discontinuing its football program?
Who will win the PC-URI basketball game?
Saints or Colts: Which 10-0 team is more impressive?
What’s your customer service experience been like while shopping recently?
Most e-mailed in the last 24 hours
Reader Reaction









You must be logged in to contribute. Log in | Register Now!
You are logged in as screenname | Log Out
You are logged in, but do not have a "screen" name. Create a Screen Name