Alternatives offered to disabled

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Alternatives offered to disabled
Matt Shotland
Staff Writer
October 22, 2003

Patrick Cottini always dreamed of competing in the Olympics with his bike. But on an early foggy morning, Cottini faced a violent accident where he suffered a severe spinal cord injury and became a C-7 quadriplegic.

His dream was far from over.

Unable to ride a bike, Cottini put his all of his effort into racing wheelchairs. He won the gold medal in the 5,000-meter race at the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona.

With his dream now a reality, he continued to work for more, and he won two more gold medals at the 1996 Paralympics in the 5,000-meter race and Olympic marathon.

Once his Olympic dreams were accomplished, Cottini dedicated his time to education.

He now attends Chico State to get his master's in the adaptive physical education program.

Upon his arrival this semester, he was assisted by the Disability Support Services.

He said he couldn't ask for a better facility.

"I didn't know anything about it when I first got here," he said. "It's been a real smooth transition since day one."

With about 600 students in the program, DSS is able to provide students with note-takers, interpreters, test accommodations and a cart service that will drive them from class to class everyday.

Nancy Hermanson, DSS adviser, has been working with disabled students in Chico for 20 years. She said the organization provides help to a large spectrum of disabilities.

"Ninety percent don't have visible disabilities. Many have Attention Deficit Disorder, cancer, diabetes, the list goes on and on," she said. "There are much more than just people in a wheelchair."

Hermanson got into the program as an interpreter. She knows sign language and is now coordinator of deaf services.


The Orion/Alex Sherman
For visual disabilities, an alternative to print is used. Through DSS, students can scan their textbook into an electronic program in a computer that can read the entire book back to the student. Hermanson said the new technology has been extremely beneficial to both the students and staff.

"We would hire readers who used to read a textbook into a tape recorder," she said. "Now we can scan an entire textbook into the computer in just three hours."

Senior Kellie Gradine takes full advantage of the cart service and test accommodations. Gradine is considered legally blind, but not fully. She has no depth perception so she can't see steps and judge distances.

"Some things that are a foot away might appear an inch away," she said.

As an English major, Gradine is able to take her tests on the computer.

While many students have to deal with permanent disabilities, others face temporary ones but can still gain assistance from DSS.

Hermanson said students with temporary walking disabilities are issued elevator keys and have access to the cart service to get them to class.

One of those students is Leslie Burton Lopez, who dislocated her knee playing rugby for the Chico State team. Left with crutches, Lopez has been riding the cart for 10 days. Her long-time friend Liza Tweltridge is her driver.

Tweltridge began driving the cart for DSS this semester and enjoys her job because she can be outside and around campus more often than usual.

"It works around my schedule, I get to help people and be on campus all day," she said. "It's the most laid-back job I've ever had."

Tweltridge said many of the people she drives have temporary disabilities such as rolled ankles or broken legs, results from sports accidents or weekend casualties.

Billie Jackson, associate director of DSS, said while the organization is successfully assisting disabled students in their daily lives at Chico State, there is always room for improvement.

Jackson said one issue being looked at is the evacuation process, especially in buildings with more than one floor.

She said the library has one of the best plans of actions because the stairwell has floor monitors that will help students get down to the first floor.

Another issue is access to more technology. With the use of computers for all student services such as the portal on the rise, more screen readers and software could help disabled students a lot more.

Jackson said the campus is always looked at as a whole to see what needs to be improved.

"Whether it's a pathway, a bridge or a drinking fountain, there are always things that could be more accessible to disabled students," she said.

Matt Shotland can be reached at mshotland@orion-online.net

Alternatives offered to disabled
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