Eric Gentile talks about the work of the Office of Programs for Handicapper Students at MSU recorded in 1979

The following interview with Eric Gentile and Judy Taylor was aired on the WKAR program, "Viewpoints for Action" in 1979. Please note, the term "handicapper" is not currently considered an appropriate moniker for people with physical disabilities but was considered appropriate and proper at the time even among those with physical disabilities.

Transcript

[Eric Gentile] That's not just limited to a select little minority. This happens to everybody at all times. Race, color, creed, national origin, age, sex, marital status, sexual preference, whatever. You're not, You're not excluded. We really don't discriminate. We take everybody.

And because of that, I think the trauma that injury can produce in a person is far greatly magnified by this ignorance, by the fact that
they haven't ever been approached with the issue, and that's one of the great things about this series, this TV show, that you do... bring it to the awareness of the public, so they know a little bit about what's life like on the other side. And do I have a future and so on.

[Host: Ronda] Judy, you mentioned in the first half of the show that you had problems trying to find... finding a house that met your needs. Could you be a little more specific with the needs that must be met?

[Judy Taylor] Well, first of all, I...the issue that I'm really concerned about because there's a great controversy concerning the code, and that is, you know, what is an accessible entrance?

Um. Being a quadriplegic, I especially have difficulties with backdoor routes to my housing and have to go into a, up an isolated approach whether I know other people around because I am, I do frequently... utilize the assistance of other individuals. And where there's doors the main approach where everybody is going in and out constantly. There's always people around to hold the door open in case I need that
assistance.

However, you know, an approach that is out of the way, where there's no people using it constantly. There's less likely, uh, um, you know, that kind of assistance being available. Likewise, as far as fire hazards with the current code, it provides for only one entrance into your apartment to be accessible or into the apartment building. That means in case of fire, you know, I am less likely to be able to get out of that place, whereas everybody else, according to fire codes, gets to have all kinds of options out of out of a building.

[Ronda] Would it be easier if you had a home of your own?

[Judy] Well, if I had the resources to build it according to what I would design it as, yeah. Because I have learned a lot from sitting in on barrier redesign board sessions, et cetera.

[Eric] I'd like to respond to that, too, Ronda. What we have, you mentioned the types of housing and everything that's needed. We have a situation with handicappers now coming up through the general education system with mandatory special ed. And they're now coming up through the life cycle on the same basis as everybody else. So we're beginning to see just the tip of the iceberg here as far as the rising demand for all kinds of housing options. So I think we really are on top of it on the barrier free Design board.

Dick Smith was here earlier. He's very crucial in that effort. We're going to have to develop a package for each individual style of housing. That fits in relatively well with the general construction standards. And I, I think that's, that's coming, but it's, it's something we need to take a better look at than just trying to accommodate wheelchair users.

There's a whole lot of other folk that need to be addressed. So by merely bringing down the cabinets and adding bars and rails to the, to the bathroom facilities isn't enough, it would not meet the needs of all handicappers? No. I think we need to look at visual fire alarms. We have persons with certain hearing characteristics, uh and oral fire alarm buzzer isn't going to do them the first bit of good.

And on the other hand, there are persons with visual characteristics who find certain arrangements of housing, placement of walls and hallways and turns and so on, uh, very clumsy. The location of controls on the stove can be a problem for them.

So it's that kind of thing in depth kind of analysis that I think we need to do, and that's going to take some time.

[Ronda] I wish we had more time to discuss this idea on housing for handicappers with physical characteristics.

Thanks so much for joining me.