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(604) 520-5400 700 Royal Avenue, New Westminster, B.C.

    
   

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Mailing Address: P.0. Box 2503, New Westminster, B.C. V3L 5B2

 

 

 

 

 

Hazards for visually impaired avoidable

While the wrestling event held in
the concourse a couple of weeks
ago was entertaining for many
students, for Nat Armeni it was a
headache.

He’s one of many visually
impaired students at Douglas Col-
lege who take the same route to
class every day, using planters, gar-
bage cans, or whatever they can as
reference points for their journeys.
\Vhen the routine gets broken, as it
is by events in the concourse, Ar-
meni may not get to class on time.

"| learn a route to a particular
area," says Armeni. "| can go
another way, but | use the railings
for a guide." That’s another prob-
lem; students like to sit on the
stairs by the railings, and they
often don’t get out of the way.
"One girl saw me coming and got
out of the way, but left her book
behind. | slipped on it."

Other hazards include doorways
left half open (a cane may miss it)
and tables moved around (the tip of
the cane goes under it). Armeni

 

 

 

 

and Community Studies.

 

Participants were guided through something that
looked like Conga-line therapy during a recent
career day for the Department of Child, Family

 

says that Douglas College is fairly
easy to get around in, but he still
gets banged up in incidents that are
usually avoidable. "I’ve got bruises
all over."

Acting Director of Student
Services Ted James says people
around the College need to realize
that a barrier they create may not
be visually identifiable.

"No one expects that there won’t
be difficulties for people with dis-
abilities, but awareness of the
mobility problems facing them
could be higher," he says. "We do
get capital grants from the Ministry
to make improvements for physical-
ly challenged people, but it’s the
little things that have a significant
impact." #

 

isioe INSIDE

November 26, 1991

, Savage in Limbo

 

Messiah

 

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Institutional Self-Study Update