page 6
daily nebraskan
monday, march 6, 1978
Living laboratory helps handicapped explore abilities
By Amy Lenzen
Three years ago Mary was a young
homemaker with a loving husband, a baby
girl and new home. Today Mary still is a
homemaker with a husband, a child and a
home. But a spinal cord injury, suffered
in a car accident two years ago, has left
Mary paralyzed from the waist down.
The transition to wheelchair confine
ment was a difficult process.
But, one year and help from the rehabil
itation and habilitation area of the College
of Home Economics, let Mary move from
"an 'I can't' person to an 'I can' person,"
said Dr. Lois Schwab, director of the
rehabilitation area.
"Our aim," said Schwab, "is to help
the handicapped find that they have more
ability than disability in areas of personal
care as well as in social and community
living."
Another aim of the program is to
achieve trjpse goals without making the
cost beyond the reach of the handicapped
person or the state or federal program
serving them.
"We're seeking solutions that aren't
found in the usual way," Schwab said.
One of the methods that the program
uses is an independent living laboratory.
This comprehensive laboratory serves both
as a tool for analyzing the abilities of
those who come to the department for
help and as a means of demonstrating to
others how their lives can be made easier,
Schwab said.
Part of the kitchen looks like most
other kitchens with the usual cabinets,
appliances, and utensils. Another side of
the kitchen has been lowered. The cabinets
have been lowered for use by persons in
wheelchairs. An adjustable counter is
used to help the handicapped decide which
height is right for his or her size and reach.
"Hexibility is the name ot the game,"
said Schwab. "There is no such thing as a
standardized person. God did not decree
that all women are five-foot five for the
standardized 36-inch-high kitchen
counter."
All else in the kitchen appears typical.
But the cookbook on the counter has
unusually large type to aid the visually
handicapped. A wire circle with spokes
actually is a pie-cutting guide. A rolling
pin with a handle is much easier for those
who can use only one arm.
These utensils help the handicapped
live with a minimum of effort, Schwab
explained.
The rest room in the corner is designed
for quadraplegics. The toilet bowl is
raised off the floor. A regular shower is
replaced by a hose with a nozzle.
The people that come to the rehabili
tation area are sent there by doctors or
mental health clinics. Some come on their
initiative.
Twelve percent of the population is
disabled in some way, Schwab said.
Although it has not been verified, that
would mean that there are about 180,000
disabled persons in Nebraska. It i estima
ted that 4 percent of the above population
are severely or multiply handicapped,
Schwab said.
It is for the later group that the area
tries to focus its services. Schwab said.
"We've become the court of last resort
for many people who haven't been given
a chance elsewhere."
Schwab did not specify the number
of people her department helps each year
or has helped since its beginning in 1966.
"I don't want to play the numbers
game. We are concerned about how far we
can move individuals."
One program through which handi
capped persons are aided is the Vocational
Area quakes concern few
Every few weeks Nebraska experiences
an earthquake registering about 2 on the
Richter scale, said Dr. Russel Smith
associate geology proessor. A number 2
quake is the smallest normally felt by
humans.
Nebraska is in a moderate earthquake
zone, Smith said. The Humboldt Fault, a
major fault, runs from southeast Nebraska
to central Oklahoma.
"It is quite possible that we could have
an earthquake at any time," Smith said.
"There are no warnings. However it is un
likely that we would have one of magni
tude 8," Smith said.
The Richter scale gauges the energy re
leased by an earthquake as measured by
ground motion. Each increase of one
number means ten times greater ground
motion. There is no upper limit and the
highest recorded is 8.9
Nebraska's largest recorded earthquake
was in Tecumseh in 1935 and had a magni
tude of about 4. It caused moderate
damage. Missouri measured the largest
earthquake in the area in 181 1. The quake
was felt as far as St. Louis and Memphis
and caused the Mississippi River to change
course.
These quakes compare with a death
total of 830,000 in China in 1556 or. the
largest U.S. quake which occurred in San
Francisco killing 700 and rating 8.3 on the
Richter Scale.
Earthquakes can happen anywhere.
There are few places absolutely free of
them. Smith said.
"It's a vibration which affects every
thing but you only notice it for a few
seconds," Smith said. The best thing to do
in an earthquake is to stay put, Smith said,
adding that people tend to rush into the
streets which is the worst thing to do.
Smith advised people caught in the
street during a quake to step into a door
way to shield themselves from falling glass.
He said people caught in cars should stop
the vehicle but remain inside.
The idea of a major earthquake occur
ring in Nebraska is not absurd, however the
chances are slim, Smith said. "I personally
feel safe here, safer than in most places,"
he said.
Services Program. In this program, persons
14 years old or older are given an assess
ment and training in line with disabilities
and capabilities.
After a battery of tests involving many
academic departments, a training pro
gram is devised. It may be administered
either by a social worker or family member
if the person lives in another part of the
state or by someone in the deparment if
the person lives in Lincoln or the surround-'
ing area.
Another division of the rehabilitation
and habilitation area is the teaching depart
ment in which students are trained to teach
independent living to the handicapped.
This department was the first in the
nation to receive funds for training pro
fessionals to teach independent living. It
has attracted masters degree candidates
from across the nation, Schwab said.
One of the most important results of
the independent living programs is that
the skills learned by the handicapped
person can lead to employment, said
Schwab.
' Using Mary as an example, Schwab said,
"Mary became the wife and mother she
wanted to be. She has remodeled her
home. Her abilities were accented."
"We work to be a force in helping
thousands claim their right to live as freely,
creatively and responsively as possible."
GLC voter registration drive
scheduled for end of March
The ASUN Liaison Committee will have
a voter registration drive in March for the
Nebraska primary election.
Terri Carver, a UNL sophomore and
GLC spokesman said booths will be set up
March 29-30 in the Nebraska Union, and
March 31 in the East Union. Students may
register at these booths from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m.
Carver said GLC wants all eligible stu
dents to register for the May primary and
November general election.
"But we also want students to get out '
there and vote." Carver said.
A spokesman for Lancaster Election
Commission said that to be eligible to vote
in the May primary one must be a U.S. citi
zen and 1 8 years old by May 9.
Hie spokesman, who refused to be iden
tified, said only those registered in Lancas
ter County may vote in Lancaster County .
If a student is not a legal resident of
Lancaster County he must write to his
home county to register. If he is already
registered and interested in voting in the
May primary, he must request ballots from
the county clerk.
Requests for absentee ballots have been
honored since February.
A student already registered in his home
county, but interested in changing coun
ties, must change his legal address to his
present address.
"Most students keep their home addres
ses as their legal addresses because their
parents claim them as dependents, and
they (the students) wouldn't have to
change their addresses on their registration
form every time they moved in Lincoln."
said the spokesman.
Nebraska statutes require voters be re
gistered by the second Friday before the
election. To vote in the May primary one
must register by April 28.
The LEC spokesman said one need not
register for the primary to vote in the gen
eral election, but if one registers as afi in
dependent, he is not eligible to vote in the
primary.
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