VIEWPOINTS
tPifORUtS OPiHlQWS 1{ II f HS T Q 1 Hf I QlTQR
Disabled’s challenge
is others’ ignorance
■ OUR OPINION We can all
learn something from this
week of awareness
Something unfortunate
happened at a went Oregon
Daily tfmrrald freelance
open house meeting
A man in a wheelchair
was fully 30 minutes late for
his appointment because a
handful of University peo
pie and Kmvraid staffers
couldn't quite figure out
how to operate the wheel
chair tiff mechanism that
would have carried him
down five steps for s dis
tance of about six feet.
Only )>eing six feet away
from even ground (and the
entrance to the newsroom)
delayed the man half an
hour.
While we don't fault the
individuals who did their
host to get the wheelchair
lift operating (which they
eventually did), the situa
tion does provide a small
example of a larger problem:
The lack of disability aware
ness on campus
As the university cele
brates Karth Week and Prr>
(nssloust Secretaries Week,
the first Disability Aware
ness Days makes its debut to
help the University commu
nity become aware of the
kinds of issues disabled
people have to deal with
every day.
Disability Awareness
Days events included the
humor of a nationally
known stand-up comedian
with cerebral palsy Wednes
day night and a Technology
Fair and discussion panel
today in the Krb Memorial
Union.
Five hundred members of
the University community
have some sort of physical
disability and the group is
becoming increasingly
mlivx and visible on cam
put.
Hut despite the group's
slice and recent activities,
there is still a lot of igno
re me and lack of under
standing toward disabled
people, according to Hilary
Gardes. coordinator of aar
vitae* for students with dis
abilities.
Thanks to the efforts of
Gardes, the Disability Pro
ject Committee and the
involvement of many others,
the campus community has
the opportunity this week to
learn to be more sensitive
end more aware of the
issues people with disabili
ties face.
Nationally as wall as hare
on campus, Ufa became
measurably less complicat
ed (or people with disabili
ties alter Congress passed
the 1973 Rehabilitation Act
and the American with Dis
abilities Act in 1990
While the University has
made the necessary changes
to fulfill the requirements of
those laws, a decrease in
funding has allowed prob
lems to persist
But the biggest problem is
still ignorance
Donna Sower, a student
who serves on the Disability
Project Committee and is
visually impaired, said it
best in Wednesday's Emer
ald
"People are afraid to
approach people with phys
ical challenge*, and they
don't need to be. The less
ignorant we become the
leas fear we will have."
This leaves people
untouched by a disability
with perhaps the biggest
challenge of all — to look
(ear in the face and over
come it.
— (M<l MMill
„R IWS A GRATE
COUNTRY OK WHAT?
IllTlnS
Hayward's Fault
The opinion piece I hat (lit
cussed in* beating death of the
Dart Mart employee by Michael
Hayward was incredibly tllugt
cal. unsophisticated and boring
(ODE. April 241 Instead of
informing us of the mat issues
behmd thit hainout aim. w*
are aaaaultad by a lama diatribe
again*! death metal music
(Xivtoutly bacauM Hayward
and hit cohorts Hsian lo thit
“crap” and "ear- rupturing
trash" they wars transformed
into hearties* murderer* i cant
believa this * written trash*
myself Hayward was s littla
messed up before he started lit
timing to death metal One mutt
be not only a dirt bag. but a
hearties* idiot to have the
propensity to commit the
hideout acts, such as murder
The music has vary littla to do
with it Furthermore. I would
think that tha USD had tome
thing to do with tha crime as
wall, rather than merely induc
ing a "drug twitted" title that
allows "violent musk; |tol All s
mind with violent thoughts *
Overall, the opinion piece
misses the boat Why not com
ment on the cult violence (hat
pervade* every iota of Arnett
can culture and not just on
eoma form of muiu. one that I
can't stomach mycelf. that opin
ion writer* obviously don't care
far* Dim could easily talk about
racist country music or the
misogynist tendencies of the
majority of the mate rap artists
and the social consequence*
that result Why not criticise
the stupidly violent and
grotesque death metal lyric*, as
opposed lo attacking tba
"grinding, crashing assault of
instruments**T You've failed to
address the failure of many
musicians to display any aero
blame of social awareness and
responsibility. You should lose
the boring side comment* and
grapple with some non impor
tant issues that could reveal the
fundamental cause of the crime.
Ultimately, this issue boils
down to the question of who is
responsible: Michael Hayward
or death metal bands Unequiv
ocally. the responsibility lies
within the twisted brain of
Michael Hayward, regardless to
the type ol musk: he listened to
before the murder I can't see
either of the two bands men
tioned as having lyrics that
instruct the listener to go to the
nearest convenience store and
commit a horrible crime. The
uninteresting and oddly con
trived statements in the opinion
piece are a lame attempt at
e* pressing an informed opin
ion
hUha Goodman
Graduate Geography
Clarification
The drawing entitled "Con
ceptual Plan of the New law
School." published with the
article on the proposed new
taw School, it atm of a series of
drawings being used as toots to
study the potential layout of
open spec# on the block the
taw School will occupy This
drawing U a designer's concept
of one of two possible ways the
block might look in SO years.
The buildings themselves are
speculative diagrams intended
to illustrate how the open
speces of the block might be
developed
The arrangement and thane
of the building* shown in the
drawing in no way reflect any
decisions about their ultimate
disposition. Such decisions
require week* of hard work by
the users of the buildings and
their architects and ultimately
must be reviewed by the Cam
pus Planning Committee for
consistency with the long range
campus plan before being
accepted by the President
Your publishing this drawing
without clarifying its intended
use implies a certainty that
dues not yet e*i*t This in tum
causes many readers to anguish
needlessly over future develop
ments that are. at this point,
merely one person's specula
tions about the future
Chris Ramey
Director and Archrtect
IXvversrty Planning
Homeless Housing
The Homeless Action Coali
tion contends that ths City of
Eugene violates the Constitu
tional Rights of homeless peo
pie by criminalizing camping,
when many have no other
choice but to camp.
The Eugene Human Right*
CommUnion and the ACLU
have notified the Qty Council
that they are in agreement with
ua. The council has been given
detail* of several other
instance* where similar camp
ing bans in other cities have
heen declared unconstitutional
We demand that the council
focuses its discussion on the
accusations of illegal and
unconstitutional behavior by
the city.
Our position is that if people
are placed in circumstances
where they have no choice but
to commit an act that would
otherwise be illegal, then their
actions are not illegal
The Qty has always relied on
the myth that the "Eugene Mis
sion turn* away no one" {Qty
Agenda Item Summary of Nov
8. 1995) But the Mission refu*
es services to tome people
because of their status as youth,
single father*, single mother*
with mate children and handi
capped women. Their is no
other shelter available If the
City Council believes that they
are acting lawfully, then they
must tel) us why What other
option* besides ramping do
these people have?
We are also putting the indi
vidual counselors on notice
that, if they knowingly ad in an
illegal manner, they lose the
legal shield of protec tion from
individual lawsuits.
Wayne Ford
Co-Chaw
Homeieaa Action Coafcfton
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