This is in response to the ableist letters encouraging people to "put on some boots" and deal with the inaccessible snowy sidewalks, "Get snow shoes; quit complaining" (SN 1/28) and "Road salt destroys more than it helps" (SN 1/29). That works quite well for me because I can simply step over the piled-up snow and continue on my way to class. But I am temporarily able-bodied. For individuals with mobility impairments, it seems to be an entirely different story.

I agree with many authors that we need to thank those individuals who work hard to clear the snow. It is clearly a difficult job and one that often goes unrecognized. But the services of snow removal should benefit everyone, not just those who can put on boots and walk to class.

People using wheelchairs deserve to have access to clear curb cuts and sidewalks not because they "have the will to succeed despite any challenges put before them," but because they are people who have responsibilities to meet and because they are members of the MSU community.

Claiming that people with mobility impairments must sacrifice their ability to get to class or work because it would cost everyone else too much creates a second-class status for all people with disabilities; this is completely unacceptable.

So, instead of completely ignoring the inaccessibility of this campus or merely pitying and tokenizing those who battle it, let's try finding solutions to the problem and listening to those who experience it firsthand.

Nat Farrow
social relations senior