How a US wheelchair university event sheds light on disability challenges

Providing adequate facilities for wheelchair users is vital for ensuring inclusivity and accessibility.Photo: Instagram/Missouriwestern

Advocates for disabled people encouraged those not in need of a wheelchair to travel in one for a time and try to realise how difficult it can be.

Missouri Western State University (MWSU) in St. Joseph, Missouri, the United States relies on its expansive campus, scenic rolling hills and complex architecture as a selling point, but the International Wheelchair Day event recently showed how for some disabled people, these are also obstacles.

Events were conducted by the university’s Accessibility Resource Center and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

“When I was a student here, I wasn’t even aware of what the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA) was, because I was still walking,” said Kelly Narowski, a Missouri Western alumna, who is a wheelchair user.

“I didn’t know anything about disability services at the time. What I see here now is accessibility everywhere, and what I see at this event, this is cool.”

Stairs limit mobility and independence, highlighting the need for inclusive environments and increased awareness of disability issues. Photo: 123rf

Narowski became partially paralysed by a car accident at 25, having previously graduated while she remained able-bodied. Now 50, she returned to MWSU to encourage disability awareness, and to reflect on how the campus is a very different place for someone in a wheelchair.

“The fact that it’s voluntary, this particular event, the fact that people want to come and learn is great,” Narowski said.

Jackie McGuire, who works as a counselor for students at MWSU, was one of the able-bodied people who got in a wheelchair during the event and attempted to navigate the campus unassisted. McGuire found the experience challenging, she said.

“You can empathise with someone, but actually putting yourself in their position lets you see it from their position.”

Keynote speaker Kar Miller, who is a student at MWSU, said raising awareness is important. Miller has long relied on a powered wheelchair for mobility, and at times finds its mechanical functions and battery life unreliable.

Seldom at MWSU, Miller said, does someone offer to help when the device is moving slowly, or not at all.

“It’s worth being considerate, and at least checking, because it’s a lot harder than you think,” Miller said. “And, we’re maybe used to it, but that doesn’t make it easy.”

Narowski said the ADA and its regulations establish some of the strongest protections worldwide for disabled people. Because of fines and scrutiny from the general public, inconsiderate actions like parking in a reserved space are less common than they used to be. However, people still do things like park in the access aisle, often denoted by diagonal lines, failing to realise those areas are just as essential.

One of her goals is to help correct that, she said. – St. Joseph News-Press/Tribune News Service