 "Photo: Sara Young/The Daily Texan")
Hoping to dispel myths about disabilities, representatives from UT’s Services for Students with Disabilities hosted an event Tuesday for students to temporarily experience life with physical or mental impairments.
The event was part of the University’s Disability Awareness Month and featured interactive activities including a simulation of different visual impairments and a demonstration of assistive technology, such as wheelchairs.
“I think a lot of people are afraid of talking about disorders because they don’t know a whole lot about them,” said Krista Schutz-Hampton, director of UT’s Division of Diversity & Community Engagement. “Without that information, we find that there are many myths about disorders.”
Schutz-Hampton said the first image people often have of the disabled are of wheelchair-bound and blind individuals. She said that isn’t the case.
According to information released by the disability services office, the most common disability on campus is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Nearly one-third of students registered with the office have the condition.
Students with the disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, have difficulty concentrating, listening and completing everyday tasks.
The condition can have a devastating effect on students’ performance in school, but help is available, Schutz-Hampton said.
“Our office tries to level the playing field,” Schutz-Hampton said. “We find most students can benefit from a quieter testing place. Some need more time to account for being distracted. Others need a notetaker so they don’t miss any key information during lecture.”
Lauren Kinast, assistant director for UT’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, said the general perception of the deaf and hard of hearing is that they have difficulty functioning.
“We can do anything,” Kinast said. “We can drive. We can be involved in sports. There is nothing that is holding us back.”
Kinast also explained that many who are deaf and hard of hearing do not consider their condition a disability. Those who are part of the deaf community consider deafness a difference in human experience rather than a disability, she said.
Biology senior Glenn Croft said his freshman-year roommate used a wheelchair.
“I really didn’t think he would be able to manage everything on his own, but he surprised me.” Croft said. “He was very accepting of help but didn’t explicitly ask for help.”
Schutz-Hampton encourages all students with disabilities, including physiological disorders such as depression, severe anxiety and eating disorders, to get help because they are not alone.
There are 1,337 students registered with Services for Students with Disabilities. But the department estimates that there are more than 2,000 students with disabilities at UT, if students who choose to not self-identify as having a disability are taken into account.
“We want to help,” Schutz-Hampton said. “We want to provide support.”
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For someone who holds such a position with the University, she should realize individuals who use wheelchairs do so to enhance their mobility. These individuals are no more "bound" to their wheelchair than she is "bound" to her car while driving and wearing a seatbelt.