Contact: Maridith Geuder
Molly Miller needed assistance to exit one MSU building.
Assigned a class project dealing with accommodations for persons with special needs, Mississippi State student Molly Miller might have interviewed a student with disabilities.
Instead, the Batesville junior decided to see life through the eyes of someone with a disability. A fully able human sciences major at the university, Miller is part of a student team working this semester in an interior design class titled "Environments for Special Needs." In the class, instructor Robin Carroll's goal is to prepare students to understand the physical and psychological needs of all humans. Part of that overview involves exploring accessibility mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"We try to teach students to incorporate barrier-free design in everything they do," Carroll said. In the process, students learn to understand the diverse feelings and abilities of those with whom they'll work, she added.
Miller, who wanted to experience firsthand the needs of those in wheelchairs, arranged to borrow a unit from MSU's T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability. She spent a day navigating her normal routine from an entirely different perspective.
"I know a student in a wheelchair who sometimes has trouble getting into buildings," Miller explained. "I wanted to experience what she experiences."
What Miller discovered is just how much progress Mississippi State has made in accommodating those with disabilities. "We have come so far," she observed.
To be sure, problem areas remain on campus, among them a door that doesn't open or a sidewalk without curb cuts. Miller videotaped the deficiencies for a required class presentation.
"But nine times out of 10 times, I found that if I was experiencing any kind of difficulty, someone would offer to help," she said.
Miller and teammates Paige Jones of Magee and Katie Smith of Senatobia--among 15 teams in the class--agreed that the exercise left an indelible impression.
"I had blisters on my hands at the end of the day from using the wheelchair," Miller said. "Sometimes I became so frustrated that I wanted to get up and walk. I learned so much that I never had paid attention to before taking this class."
Carroll said Miller's reaction is exactly the reason the class is offered each fall semester.
"If it doesn't make a real impact on students, then I'm not doing my job," Carroll said.
For more information about the class, telephone Robin Carroll at (662) 325-7687.