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The clock ticks, red hand staggering. The bell rings and you’re off to your next class, weaving through the crowd of students in the hallways in an effort to make it to your next class on time. Most students seldom give thought to the challenges of transportation and walk without giving a second thought to the struggles students with disabilities must navigate daily.
Rebecca Veroneau is the head teacher of Life Academics. She has noticed many passing students who are not aware of the strain they put on her students’ ability to reach class.
“Students, in wheelchairs in particular, have a hard time navigating through crowds,” Veroneau said. “Some students have delayed processing, and so yeah, it takes them a little bit to figure out how to get through the crowd.”
It becomes a safety hazard when students do not pay attention to what is transpiring around them.
“It concerns me because it’s a safety factor because, you know, if you’re not observant to students’ needs you’re probably not observant and that may cause problems,” Veroneau said.
According to Veroneau, there are some students who do stop to let others pass.
“It makes me happy because you notice there are considerate people–considerate and aware people out there,” Veroneau said. “It’s just that there’s not enough.”
Sophomore Lilian Stephens has been seen stopping in the halls for Life Academics students to pass.
“They deserve just as much respect as you can give someone that can walk,” Stephens said. “I mean you’re not going to just run right into them. I’ve seen people walk right past them. It’s kind of rude, kind of frustrating. What if someone just cut in front of you and walked right past? It’s really no different.”
Veroneau encourages the “Golden Rule”–to treat others with the same respect as you would like to receive.
“We’re all just one incident away from having a disability,” Veroneau said. “Be kind and compassionate to people that have disabilities because, you know, it could really happen to anybody.”
