Bridging the disability gap

Carrie-Ann Bugden would rather spend her time going over the things she has in common with other university students rather than delve into the condition that has required her to use a wheelchair most of her life.

Bugden, who represents students with disabilities with the MUN Students’ Union (MUNSU), says the only difference between her and someone who can walk is that it takes her a “little longer to do things.”

On Jan. 25, the provincial government allocated, as part of a $10-million infrastructure boost for Memorial, $300,000 to help improve and maintain campus accessibility for persons living with physical disabilities.

“The Department of Education is committed to ensuring that persons with disabilities are also full members of the university community,” said Education Minister Darrin King while speaking about the funding.

Elected in 2009, Bugden, who wishes to one day study social work, says she speaks from experience in saying that accessibility has always been the largest issue facing students, like her, who live with a physical disability.

Constantly considering the hazardous winter sidewalks and elevator buttons that are often too high, Bugden said “The university isn’t fully where it is supposed to be,” in terms of accessibility, but the additional funding is “Definitely a step in the right direction.”

According to Ruth North, a student affairs officer with the Glenn Roy Blundon Centre for Students With Disabilities on campus, the announced $300,000 has been allocated to such things as lowering the buttons in some elevators, installing automated door openers, and providing card entry to most elevators versus key entry, all while continuing to upgrade curbs, ramps, and railings in Memorial’s attempt to make campus fully accessible.

North says that although the funding is specific in addressing those concerns facing students with physical disabilities, her office provides services beneficial to students requiring further assistance.

Services such as sign language, note taking, psycho-educational assessments, and counselling are all offered through the Blundon Center, according to North.

Speaking in terms of the funding, North adds that her office, which was established on campus in 1992 to help those students with physical, vision, hearing, mental, and learning disabilities, will be seeking further feedback regarding what else needs to be done to make Memorial more accessible.

“We will be seeking further input from students with disabilities…to help us select the specific projects that will be completed on the St. John’s campus with this dedicated funding,” said North.

In conjunction with her work at the Students’ Union, Bugden says she’s also volunteering with the MUN Disabilities Information and Support Centre, (MUN DISC), a MUNSU sponsored resource centre that having been, as Bugden explains, “dormant for years” was revived in 2009. According to MUNSU’s Resource Coordinator Adam Daniels, volunteers with the centre have been meeting regularly with Executive Director of Campaigns Becky Winsor and discussing new campaigns.

“These great volunteers have cleaned up their space on the sixth floor and are currently looking at purchasing computers, adaptive technology, and resources for their members. They are expected to make these purchases in February. They are also helping to plan several events with the highlight being the planned accessibility audit of campus and other awareness initiatives,” explained Daniels.

As with each resource centre, the MUN Students’ Union provides MUN DISC with a $1,000 operational grant each semester, a $500 Copy Centre credit each semester, a phone line, and various other methods of assistance, such as access to special project grants, a room in the University Centre, and support staff.

Daniels also says that one of the new additions that MUNSU is excited to offer will be the newly designed websites for each of the resource centres which should be active sometime in February. Bugden says that her involvement and contribution to the disabilities community has given her the motivation and inspiration she was looking for.

“It makes me feel like I have a larger voice about what is going on at the university, giving everyone a larger voice for what they want to do or say. We all have hopes and dreams, wishes and desires; it just takes some of us longer to obtain them than others.”

As Bugden explained, she currently represents approximately 500 constituents at Memorial, all of whom live with either a physical or mental disability.