frlday, September 14, 1079
daily nebraskan
page 3
Psychologist: Redirect funds for disabled
Dy Kevin Field
Hie federal government spends $22.5 billion dollars
each year to support individuals with some type of disabil
ity, according to a College of Home Economics psycholo
gist. Lois Schwab said that when state and local expendi
tures are included, close to $100 billion is spent each year
on supporting handicapped persons.
That money, she says, could more effectively be spent
on programs that teach the disabled to help themselves.
Schwab, who has been working with the handicapped
since 1954, said "We want to accent abilities and capabili
ties, not a person's disabilities."
UNL and the state of Nebraska are pioneers in the area
of independent living for the handicapped, according to
Schwab. The program began in 1968 when a grant was re
ceived to develop a lab where handicapped persons could
And out what their capabilities were and the available
aids.
Independent living involves training the individual in
Capital additions
on regents agenda
New programs and capital additions are on the
NU Regents agenda, scheduled for 1 pjn. Friday.
A graduate business program between Kearney
State College and NU will be discussed. The pro
gram would continue to be on Kearney's campus,
but NU would supervise it. However, the cost would
be shared between the schools.
A courtroom addition to the College of Law to
be used for practical experience of law students will
be considered. The $1.3 million estimated cost of
the addition would be donated by Ross McCollum
of California.
John Strong, dean of the Law College, said
that the addition is "expected to be accepted."
The proposed College of Veterinary Medicine
is also on the agenda. In the program, students take
first-year classes in their home-states and the final
three years at NU.
Cooperating states would share the cost. Nebras
ka's cost would be $7.1 million.
The Regents also will discuss a proposal to make
the school of Journalism a separate college and the
discontinuation of the teacher training option in
industrial technology at the College of Engineering.
everyday household chores necessary for survival. Pood
preparation, clothes washing, sewing and bathroom tech
niques are areas where training is often necessary, Schwab
said. "It you take a group of severely handicapped persons
and give them a quality program of independent living,
you are also giving them skills needed to develop job
skills," she said.
If a person can feed himself, then he would be able to
handle many manipulative tasks such as assembly line
work, she added.
In 1974, a grant was received to establish outreach sta
tions across the entire state. This made stations more
accessible to state residents.
"We are pioneers in the nation. We are the first and
only state to establish a state-wide program," Schwab
said.
However, last November, President Carter signed legis
lation for independent living, thus making grant money
more competitive because "everybody wants to get into
the act," she said.
In the lab, a person with a disability can discover if he
can do something by himself or if additional help is need
ed. A one dish preparation .test has been devised that in
volves all aspects of working in a kitchen. If a person can
do it, he shows he can live independently in the kitchen,
she said.
Many handicapped persons can be trained to get back
into the work force, she added. In a project' that ended in
1978, 70 individuals severely disabled with cerebral palsy
were put through an independent living program. After
two years of work, 62 percent were in work employment
and 40 percent were in paid employment, Schwab said.
Hie idea, she said, is to take people out of custodial care
and make them productive individuals.
There are 93,000 disabled working age adults in Ne
braska. Most disabilities are the result of accidents or dis
ease, she said. People are now living from many diseases
that used to kill and the paramedic techniques developed
in Vietnam are prevalent in the nation's highways. As a .
result, more people are surviving accidents, she said.
Football shuttle offered
UNL will provide free shuttle bus service from the
State Fairgrounds to Memorial Stadium this Saturday and
every football Saturday throughout the season.
Capt. Kenneth Markle, parking administrator for UNL
Campus Police, said parking stalls for up to 1,000 vehicles
are available on the fairgrounds parking lot, which can be
entered from North 14th Street.
Shuttle btis service 'from the parking lot to thcitadiunu
will begin at noon and will be available to return to the'
fairgrounds parking lot after the game. '
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