With slick sidewalks and frequent ski trips making injuries more prevalent in the winter, the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities sees an increase in mobility cases in the winter, director of the program Michael Hudson said.
According to the program’s website, it strives to “create a welcoming environment, fortify capacity and compassionately challenge people to redefine disability.”
It does so by developing a unique action plan that is specific to each student or staff member that seeks assistance at MSU, Hudson said.
A common solution to assist those with an injured leg in getting to class is to utilize the Capital Area Transportation Authority, or CATA, buses, Hudson said.
For those who are unable to get to the bus stops, they have the option of applying for the Spec-Tran system through CATA.
According to CATA’s website, Spec-Tran is “a curb-to-curb service that uses small lift-equipped buses and vans to transport customers.”
This system can take student from their residence halls, or any other place of residence, directly to their class.
For those students who injure their arm or wrist and are unable to write properly, they’re often suggested to use a Livescribe pen, Hudson said. This pen has audio recording features and the ability to time-index everything that a person doodles on its pad.
Some students work with a professor to find a student willing to share their notes instead.
When taking exams, many utilize scribe services or request a computer modification, Hudson said.
The staff at the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities is dedicated to finding solutions that help those with disabilities remain independent.
“I don’t like to make people dependent on other people or systems too much,” Hudson said. “My goal is to help them discover strategies they can carry with them their whole life and will ultimately lead to their greater independence and their greatest productivity.”
Hudson's passion for what he does derives from his own personal experience.
Growing up blind, he chose to pursue education as an instrumental tool to assure that he would live the life he wanted, despite his disability.
“When I (studied education) I realized some of the things that were most difficult and some of the most rewarding aspects and I said, ‘I would love to, as my career, help others who are experiencing disabilities find the very positive solution that education is in the lives of these folks,’” Hudson said.
Though his disability is permanent and the mobility issues that he’s dealing with are usually temporary, Hudson is able to sympathize with them.
“One of the toughest parts about having a disability is the initial onset of it, it’s very challenging,” Hudson said. “You don’t have the compensatory techniques and strategies that you might have if you lived with the situation for a while. So it’s startling to people and stunning and they do need a partnership in figuring these things out.”
Virginia Martz, a MSU disabilities specialist who works with students with mobility disabilities, recommends students at all times of the year are cautious and aware of the world around them.
“The best thing a person can do is actually be present in the moment in their environment and watch what’s going on around them,” Martz said.
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