Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Sept. 22, 1999, edition 1 / Page 2
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September 22,1999 2 Campus News Disabilities Awareness Week educates campus Ayana Rhodes Staff Wiiier The red and yellow foot prints on the floor of the Cate Center last week were repre sentative of Meredith’s Dis abilities Awareness Week’s theme, “Walk a Mile in My Shoes.” The several activities sponsored by the Counseling Center were aimed at helping people understand disability. According to LoriAnn Stretch, Assistant Director of the Counseling Center and coordinator of programs for students with disabilities, there is a need for people to be aware of disabilities because there is a “higher percentage of people with disabilities than people realize," Stretch defined a disability as anything that limits a major life function. She stated that disabilities can range from asthma to Attention Deficit Disorder. As a person with asthma. Stretch believes the statistic that “if you aren't dis abled, you have a 50% chance of getting a disability or of hav ing a family member who has one." According to Stretch, the primary function of the experi ential learning lab was to give people the opportunity to be able to experience what it is like to be disabled. Stretch said that there are many things about disabilities that people don’t understand. “In most cases, disabilities are permanent," said Stretch. Often, those who are not dis abled do not realize this. According to Stretch, there are two types of disabilities, those that are visible and those that are hidden. “People have a hard time understanding hid den disabilities." said Stretch. At the learning lab, the Counseling Center had twelve stations with resources to help people overcome their lack of understanding. The resources included cards that describe a specific disability and how to accommodate it. A couple of the cards also gave examples of case studies for certain disabil ities. The card for dyslexia had two paragraphs printed the way they would look to a person with a certain form of dyslexia. The experiential learning iRcluded a wheelchair cKai- lenge that students, faculty, and staff were encouraged to par ticipate in. Lisa Coltrain, a junior who participated, said that they were required to go from the bottom of Cate Cen ter, up the elevator, around the top of Cate, back down, out to Johnson Hall and back. Coltrain. who admitted to hav ing trouble with moving for ward up a hill, said that it was definitely “challenging." Coltrain said that many peo ple did not know what she was doing and would ask if she needed help. Others opened doors for her, which she said was a problem- Coltrain was a little disappointed at finding out that Johnson Hall is only wheelchair accessible from the sides. Overall, Coltrain learned from the experience. She said, “I realized that if 1 were in a wheelchair, I couldn’t make it Blood drive matches needs Rebecca Johnson staff Writer On Wednesday, Sept. 15, the Meredith Christian Association sponsored a blood drive in the lower level of Belk Dining Hall. The blood drive had been scheduled for some time but because of the approaching hur ricane, it became very important. Debbie Beasley, a Red Cross Volunteer who was helping with the drive, said that even though the blood supply levels in Wake County are adequate, the county does need to have an extra supply when a storm with the magnitude of Floyd was approaching last week. Beasley said, “Meredith is a true hero. When other sites were forced to back out because of the storm. Meredith did not. and therefore it became the primary source for blood donation for Wake County at this time." The blood drive began at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday and was scheduled to end around 9 p.m.. but because of the weath er, the coordinators of the drive were forced to end a little early. No one wanted to take any chances with Floyd on his way and the Red Cross wanted nurses as well as volunteers home safely before the storm began. Campus Minister Sam Carothers and MCA Outreach co-chair Melissa Willard helped plan the event. Both stayed at the blood drive on Wednesday to ensure that everything went smoothly. Everyone woricing and vol- u n t e e r i n g seemed pleased with the number of donors who showed up to give despite the adverse weather con ditions. Overall, the drive appeared to be a suc cess. Willard said that there were 36 attempts to give. Willard also added that Col lege President Dr. Maureen Hartford gave a pint of blood. to class in ten minutes. It’s more difficult than it looks." On Tuesday, the Counseling Center had Open House to introduce new members of the staff to the students, faculty, and staff. Lynne Kohn. who is the Coordinator for Outreach and Peer Education, and Lori Ann Stretch are both new to the Meredith community. The Open House gave Meredith students a chance to find out what the Counseling Center offers. Stretch said that it was a safe way to dispel fears and misconceptions about what they provide. On Wednesday, the Chapel service was also dedicated to Disability Awareness. Christa Bucks, a former Meredith stu dent who has traveled abroad many times, spoke about being disabled. She talked about the difficulties, but focused pri marily on the ways people could help the disabled achieve their dreams. Bucks firmly stated that everyone can achieve their dreams if they work at it. During the week, the Coun seling Center utilized MCTV to reach people about disabiii- ties. In addition to disability trivia, students could find movies such as How Difficult Can This Be?, a film about a project which put special edu cation teachers and counselors through the experience of hav ing a learning disability, and What Do You Do When You See a Blind Person? on MCTV. Lea Metz, Resident Director of Stringfield, felt that the week went “really well.’’ despite the cancellation of activities due to Hurricane Floyd. She said, “I feel that the wheelchair challenge was a successful means for allowing people to experience disabili- ty." Stretch said, “Overall, cam pus responded extremely well.’’ She said that she looks forward to doing it again. Mastering Reading and ^ Note-taking SkiUs: Leant the nuts and boifs p^ succeeding in the class room. Brins ^ current fcictixtok and not^KX>k with you to tfits se^n. ThttTsd^, Septeiftber 23, 3j45'5 p.m. Arm Gleason, E^an Students jyogwood A ' Test Taking iOl: yourself for stuf^ and success on exams, quizzes and midterms. Learn how to prepare for c^jjective and essay tests and to cope with test anxie^. Briiig cx^ies of old tests. Wednesday, September 29,12 -1 p.m. Nan McAden, Director of A^demic Advising Dc^>w>od A ClX£l,pel SolnedLule Sept. 252: MCA 'W'or^sliJ.p Se]pt. 30; Rev. KJ:x-k Oldlxa-XTX, IWeiBley of BTO State. “Meredith is a true hero... and the primary source for blood donation for Wake County at this time.” "Debbie Beasley, Red Cross Volunteer
Meredith College Student Newspaper
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