The student voice since 1904 Kansas faces Wichita State 5K honors late athletic director Jayhawks hope to redeem their weekend losses against Texas Tech. SPORTS | 1B Race proceeds go toward the Dr. Bob Frederick Scholarship fund. CHARITY | 2A TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2010 WWW.KANSAN.COM VOluME 121 issue 144 disabled BY CARNEZ WILLIAMS
[email protected] Matt Shoreman steers his electric-powered wheelchair through the front doors of his dorm and past the corner of 15th Street and Engel Road as he races down the hill toward his 8 a.m. philosophy class in Wescoe 3140. It starts in 10 minutes. As he crosses the intersection at 15th and Naismith, Matt, a sophomore from Hays, pushes full speed toward the paved stretch between Budig and Marvin Halls — only five minutes away from Wescoe. lifeHow four Matt motors up Wescoe’s wheelchair ramp, only to be foiled by a set of heavy glass doors he can’t open. This entrance has no handicap-accessible buttons or automatic door openers, so he patiently waits outside, knowing he will be late unless someone students sees him and opens the door. Although Matt has learned to cope with frustration, these moments remind him of conquered the price he pays to be a Jayhawk. Matt became a partial quadriplegic after an accident on a playground damaged his campus, spine when he was 6 months old. Like Matt, students with physical disabilities at the University face challenges in navigating hills and old buildings and getting to class on time. The three students who have self-identified with KU Disability Resources as despite having mobility problems don’t reflect the total number of students who encounter these barriers on campus.