OVERCOMING the impossible

Too-steep ramps,long flightsofstairs, sinks you can only turn onwith your feet, everything geared toward sound;campusis full ofobstaclesforthe physically challenged.

Many ofthem seeit as a challenge tobe overcome. There aremany students who lackwhat most people seeas"normal"abilities — people withoutsight, without hearing or without use oftheir legs

Itdoesn't seem to slow many ofthem down,however Aspeople with 20/20 vision, excellenthearing and two perfectlyfunctionallegs complain about havingto walk from the circle to DeMoss twice aday, these determined people are running circlesaround them, making changes.

"There were alot of thingsI couldn't getto, and nobody was making itany easierforme,"Tracey Furr, graduate student from Casanova, Va., said

She decided itwas time tomake thiscampus more accessible, so shestarted talking topeople about making changes She ran intoalotofopposition, however, because shedidn't know who totalkto and some people whocould have helped herdidn't.

"Itgotveryfrustrating,"she said,"but I kept trying.

"There was a disabilitiesactpassed inJuly1992. It'sahuge law — over 100 pages — but one ofthe things itsays isthatif a building issupposed to be open toanyone,itneedsbe accessible toeveryone I needed tobe able togetinto every building — every place anyone elsecouldgo inmy wheelchair."

After talking toeveryone possiblesheknew of about thislaw, someone finallydirected her to Norm Westervelt who gotthe financing approved for more wheelchair ramps.

"Once it started, it was amazing howquicklyit happened The concrete was tornuprightaway some people didn't even know what was happening."

Even with the new ramps,accesscan sometimes still bedifficult.

LisaDauplaise, a junior born with spina-bifida, calls thereligionhallthe "dreadedhall."

"The ramp ontheside ofthehallisso steepthat it'shard togo upitwithout flippingbackwards."

Lisa'stroublesaren't limited toreligion hall "There's aparking space infrontofthe ramp between DeMoss and the Vines Center,"she said with frustration."Ican'twaitto startusing mycrutches."

Living inasilentworld has itsrough momentsalso Senior BrianWalters, who was born totallydeaf, findsitvery difficult to communicate with hearing people.

"Sometimes it'sembarrassing; sometimes it'skind offunny," he said of his attempts totalktohearing people who don't know sign language.

He isglad he decided toattend LU ratherthan a deaf school, however, in spiteofthe difficulties.

"IfI'd gone to Gallaudet University I'd be toofocused on thedeafworld I wantto keep intouch with the hearing world."

People likeTracey, Lisa and Brian arehelpingto open our eyes tothe difficultiesfaced bypeople who,in spiteofsome severemisconceptions held by"normal" people, arethemselvesvery normal people who simply have totryalittle harder than therestofus toaccomplishthe same thingsweso easily takeforgranted.