Dr. Young is it true only 12 students in wheelchairs attend Rutgers?

[1 Fine Spine RN]

Ok, have you ever seen a grown woman swallow her pride in public, watch me now.

Bob is right. No one knows anything over there, and at some levels they feel they have to cover it up.

Oh he knows I do not like how all of this got started, and I think he knows a better way now how to go about finding what he wants. I have been home on injury leave and watching his thread and talking to him a little and to be honest, as infuriating as all of this is, I decided to make some phone calls to Rutgers and send some emails and Lo and behold...I met with the same response as he did. I never called so many people in all my life and met with such a creepy lack of interest or moronic stupidity as I did that day making those calls. We can be glad to know that the future of many disabled students in NJ are falling into the hands of such efficiency.

That being said, I did determine that there is really no one way to find out how many students who use wheelchairs are really enrolled. The beginning place is going to actually be the housing office, to find out how many accessible dorm rooms there are and how many are occupied by students who need chairs. The registrar can not release information to public about a students need for a wheelchair, as they are entitled to that privacy. The office that Bob refers to with 10-12 students reflects only those students who require both the use of the chair and the additional educational services that are offered such as note taking and tutoring so it is not a good number to use in any determination. I do think it is possible to find out some numbers by word of mouth though, if you get word to whoever is actually occupying the accessible dorm rooms, they will have access to the other students. Go over the the student unions in the fall and look around. Go take a look around during freshman orientation. Take an ad in the school newspaper. These things have all been suggested and they are the way to go.

I like this new focus better though, I like this new goal of Bob's better. Seems like if you accomplish making higher education available for more kids with disabilities, eventually they will voice their own wants and get what they want on their own. I like this a lot. It is a good direction Bob, and School Board meetings have open forums all the time in which to begin to build your agenda. I am not one to give advice but I see you are very passionate about this. I am going to eat crow here because I deserve to. I gave you a lot of guff...I probably still will....but I was just thinking. Could you see yourself on the school board of the system your boys graduated from? Oddly enough..I can. From there....you never know right? Anyway, if you feel the winds of change, you should follow them wherever they take you, and grow in the process. Good Luck.

Mary

[bigbob]

Originally posted by Mary/Duramater Ok, have you ever seen a grown woman swallow her pride in public, watch me now.

I decided to make some phone calls to Rutgers and send some emails and Lo and behold...I met with the same response as he did. I never called so many people in all my life and met with such a creepy lack of interest or moronic stupidity as I did that day making those calls. We can be glad to know that the future of many disabled students in NJ are falling into the hands of such efficiency.


good direction Bob, and School Board meetings have open forums all the time in which to begin to build your agenda. I am not one to give advice but I see you are very passionate about this. I am going to eat crow here because I deserve to.

Mary, I admire your wisdom. In fact it means more to me than if it came from someone who really didn't have an opinion one way or the other.

[1 Fine Spine RN]

Originally Posted by bigbob

Mary, I admire your wisdom. In fact it means more to me than if it came from someone who really didn't have an opinion one way or the other.

Thank you for your respect and maybe I should point out that you chose to quote me eating crow but did not put any emphasis on the role you plan to play to correct this problem. Some uninfluential washed up disabled nurse eating crow carries no weight or value to this conversation. What I want to see is your action plan, your grassroots organization, your ititiative. People keep telling you this, and encouraging you to do it, so now it is time to rest this topic and wait to hear about your results. I told you before, put documented sources and contacts in my hand and I will support this ...I am good at that, and by the way.....I had my crow quota for July...Come to Jack's party and get water gunned in the face like the rest of us.

[bigbob]

Originally Posted by Duramater

Ok, have you ever seen a grown woman swallow her pride in public, watch me now.

Bob is right. No one knows anything over there, and at some levels they feel they have to cover it up.

Oh he knows I do not like how all of this got started, and I think he knows a better way now how to go about finding what he wants. I have been home on injury leave and watching his thread and talking to him a little and to be honest, as infuriating as all of this is, I decided to make some phone calls to Rutgers and send some emails and Lo and behold...I met with the same response as he did. I never called so many people in all my life and met with such a creepy lack of interest or moronic stupidity as I did that day making those calls. We can be glad to know that the future of many disabled students in NJ are falling into the hands of such efficiency.

It is really amazing how much it must cost to make a University accessible. And, then to realize that only a few students make use of the improvements should stir up some controversy. I'm sure the ADA isn't promoting barrier free Universities because they want to help the construction industry. I think their intention was to get more physically disabled students to attend. Making a University accessible alone, does not seem to work.

[bigbob]

Amazing how they follow the law to make sure they recieve their federal funds, but really if you think about it do you think they want wheelchair students? Last time I spoke to an official at the university I was told one of the staff contacted another Univiversity that has wheelchair programs and they told that person they are sorry they ever started. Don't you feel wanted?

[bigbob]

BTW, do you think if a University could just brush crips off, do you think you got half a chance of ever getting a cure? Do they really care? Or are they just happy to subsidize their expenses and maintain their federal funding by making the school barrier free? Like I said before, I don't think the ADA was interested in being a boon to the construction industry. Whats even scarier is if the research industry wants their grants and forgets about crips also. Not so dis-similar.

[Hunker]

Originally Posted by bigbob

BTW, do you think if a University could just brush crips off, do you think you got half a chance of ever getting a cure? Do they really care? Or are they just happy to subsidize their expenses and maintain their federal funding by making the school barrier free? Like I said before, I don't think the ADA was interested in being a boon to the construction industry. Whats even scarier is if the research industry wants their grants and forgets about crips also. Not so dis-similar.

To be off topic I have to scrub or only call business in Telemarketing, yet Gov can solicit even on Sunday and the newpaper can too (The Gov do not want bad news) Just an example of the"have" and "have not" - I hire disabled etc every day and it is sad how the "rich" ....<dots>.....are further apart from the poor. I hire people who have been faithfull to companies and let go. My boss is giving 5% of sales to red cross to clutch hearts for the hurricane but yet no one has been given a raise in four years. You have heard the saying " yea me fu" - What do we do "bitch" - I did thinking the ADA had backbone but I was fooled.

[bigbob]

Originally Posted by Hunker

To be off topic I have to scrub or only call business in Telemarketing, yet Gov can solicit even on Sunday and the newpaper can too (The Gov do not want bad news) Just an example of the"have" and "have not" - I hire disabled etc every day and it is sad how the "rich" ....<dots>.....are further apart from the poor. I hire people who have been faithfull to companies and let go. My boss is giving 5% of sales to red cross to clutch hearts for the hurricane but yet no one has been given a raise in four years. You have heard the saying " yea me fu" - What do we do "bitch" - I did thinking the ADA had backbone but I was fooled.

Hunker you are not off topic, the topic is about how things get done and the frustration.

Last night I had the pleasure of going to Dr. Young's open house. After everyone left we sat down and had a talk. Naturally part of our discussion was on this topic. I even asked him if there is an effort to get students in wheelchairs to go to the University. He proudly told me that he invites guidance counselors from many of the local high schools to tour his lab. And, he makes sure that they know the lab is handicap accessible. I thought that was wonderful. But on my way home I started to analyze what I had heard. I heard that a department was recruiting. Recruiting students interested in science. I heard recruiting to fill a void. Is there not a void of wheelchair students? How about setting up a department at Rutgers that offers courses on how people in wheelchairs can get the most out of life. Maybe have discussions on how to effectively advocate for a cure. If there was a department like that they would recruit also, and they could say that able bodied are welcome also It's not such a bad idea, at the University level maybe they could actually bring some issues to life and create some innovative solutions.

[marmalady]

Bob, Wise responded to your question as is appropriate for him as a department head. If you want more, I would go to the college recruitement department, and the special needs folks at Rutgers. Wise has enough flags to fly; this is just not his area.

[bigbob]

Marm, I did not say anything at all about Wise being responsible for recruiting wheelchair students. Please don't put me on the defensive. I even suggested a separate dept. to accomplish the goal. BTW, I believe Wise would love to see more wheelchair students attending. I have no problem with Dr. Young on this issue. I believe he supports it. But, sometimes well meaning people like you put me on the defensive without reason. There is no battle going on.