Campus Center West was bustling with students Oct. 22 trying manual and electric wheel chairs, blindfolds, Braille reading material and quizzes designed to give students a better understanding of the challenges that face people with disabilities.
As part of Disabilities Awareness Month, the Disability Program Services held the "Try a Disability."
There were DPS staff members on hand to help students experience what it is like to have various disabilities, such as dyslexia, blindness and others requiring a manual or electric wheel chair.
The Future Teachers Club gave quizzes to students who were curious about what it is like to have a learning disability. Centered on reading, writing, and coordination, the brief tests instructed the students to complete all tasks with their non-dominant hand.
Alexandra Serratos, Future Teachers Club V.P., related that she has a nephew with autism.
"I think raising the public awareness of the difficulties that people with disabilities face allows everyone to see first hand how difficult it is and allows us to be more patient and compassionate towards people with disabilities," Serratos said.
A sheet simulating the way a person with dyslexia sees the written word was extremely hard to read, and even harder to comprehend. The letters in most of the words were in a mixed up order, and many were backwards or upside down.
"My older brother, Warren, has dyslexia; he is terrified to read out loud and is embarrassed to admit he has a learning disability," Jenny Scott, philosophy major, said. "It's good to see so many students interested in experiencing the difficulties of others and fostering a new understanding through hands on experimentation."
Many students were waiting in line to try blindness. With a blindfold on and a special, plastic tipped stick moving side to side in rapid motion, students shuffled their feet to make it through an obstacle course.
"When the stick would hit things, I would get startled!" Justine Blair, undecided major, exclaimed.
For blind students, DPS has computer software that takes scanned material and reads it out loud. A text to Braille service will not only do text but pictures as well. The View Plus Brailler hammers out whatever material that the student needs.
Help is also available for students with low vision. There are computer keyboards in the DPS low vision area with extremely large type on the keys. The Magic computer software magnifies the screen; it is like zoom to the extreme. It will magnify whatever material that can be viewed on a computer.
For material that is not on a computer, manual magnifiers can be checked out for the entire semester. There are always lab techs available to help with services.
Temporary services are available for students with injuries that prevent them from participating in classes and doing homework. Help is there for all Chaffey students that have a genuine need of assistance.
Students enjoying the Try a Disability event, who were trying the wheel chairs, found that the manual chair was hard on their hands, while the electric version was fun.
"As long as they are part of the program, they can trade for an electric wheel chair. Or if they prefer, they can get tram rides," Robbie Lawson, photography major, program participant, and student DPS assistant, said.
Lawson, who has tendon injuries in his forearms, gets assistance from DPS with note and test taking because multiple surgeries has diminished his capacity to write. Having these services keeps him in college and working toward a career in photography.
"I went over there because I saw somebody trying it; it's really hard to get around in the manual chairs. The electric is easier but hard to get the hang of," Brittney Kelly, criminal justice major, said.
Joe Jondreau, Director of DPS, was on hand overseeing the event and helping students with getting in and out of the wheel chairs.
A subject that came up among students trying the chairs had to do with the difficulties facing wheel chair bound students that may need to use the restroom.
"It is important to make sure that the restrooms are accessible and there is room for students to turn their chairs around," Jondreau said.
DPS has many services not mentioned here. To get further details, contact them directly.
The Disability Programs and Services office is located in Campus Center West, Room 21.
Phone: (909)652-6379
(909)466-2829 TDD
(909)652-6385
Website: www.chaffey.edu/dps
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