In This Issue
Fall/Winter
2005
Volume 1 • Issue 2
Professors
Receive
Allan Meyers Award
UM
Students Receive
National Award
Prevention
Center
of Excellence
Search
Tool Facilitates
Access to MEC Training
Grant
to Increase Access
to Volunteer Opportunities
Intervention
Methods
Subject of Conference
Screening
Instrument
Under Development
Co-Instructional
Model
Developed by CCIDS
Center
Staff Star in
New Video
Guest
Column:
CAC Member Tours
South Africa
Brain
Research Informs
Best Practice
UMaine Students Receive National Award
Raising public awareness and bringing about social change aren’t simple goals to set or achieve, yet two University of Maine students are making great strides toward promoting universal access to recreational activities for disabled Maine residents.
During
the spring 2005 semester, Brad Bosse, a communications major, and Ben Moreau,
majoring in education, paired their final project in
Interdisciplinary Disability Studies with the University’s required
Capstone experience to conduct research on access barriers and solutions
in several Maine movie theaters owned by Regal Entertainment Group.
As a result of their efforts to put theory into practice, Bosse and
Moreau
were chosen to receive the 2005 Student Award of the DisAbility Special
Primary Interest Group of the American Public Health Association.
“To my knowledge, this national, competitive award, which is typically
won by doctoral students, has never been given to an undergraduate
student,” according
to Elizabeth DePoy, professor of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies
at The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability
Studies. DePoy, and Professor Stephen Gilson, mentored Bosse and
Moreau’s
research project and nominated the students for the national award.
As part of their research effort, Bosse and Moreau rented a wheelchair
and took turns using it to attend movies at several theaters in Maine.
Though the pair discovered that a majority of theaters were in compliance
with the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, they also
learned that societal attitude is important in the effective application
of the standards. While the students found all doorways and bathroom
stalls they visited were wide enough to provide wheelchair access, the
lack of automatic door openers and poor winter maintenance that allowed
snow to block handicapped parking spaces and access ramps, inhibited
wheelchair access to some theaters. Lack of captioning was also a barrier
for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Following their fieldwork, Bosse and Moreau reported their findings
and cited recommendations for improved access in a letter to the president
of the Knoxville, Tennessee-based Regal Entertainment Group. Senior
Vice
President Randy Smith responded in a letter to the students indicating, “It
is clear that your intentions are honorable and designed to provide greater
access to the disabled to all forms of public accommodation.” Smith
stated the entertainment group will evaluate the students’ request
for automatic doors and outlined the company’s on-going efforts
to provide captioned movies “as a public service.”
Bosse and Moreau received their award in Philadelphia at the annual
meeting of the American Public Health Association in December.
— Kimberly Sawtelle
Beyond All Expectations: |
|
 |
by Dr. JoAnne Putnam Discover the unforgettable story of how one woman survived the inhumane world of institutions and emerged to earn a college degree and find employment as a Maine state advocate for people with disabilities. Stressing the importance of education, inclusion, and self-determination for all, Paige Barton became a national role model for self-advocates and professionals in the field of developmental disabilities. Order Information: |
CENTERPOINT: The Newsletter of The University of Maine
Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies,
Maine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Education, Research, and Service