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Each day, millions of people get out of bed and walk. They walk to the kitchen, to their cars or to classes without giving their action a second thought. For the average individual, the ability to walk is taken for granted. Until his car accident in September 1999, Minnesota State faculty member John Hendrickson was one of those people.
"I had an automobile accident that really changed things for me, so up to that point I was a regular walk-around guy, and I didn't think too much about disability issues or those kinds of things," Hendrickson said. "It was just one of those things of life, not one of those things of my life."
Hendrickson's accident occurred on a state highway south of New Richland, Minn., during a windy rainstorm. His Geo Metro and another car hydroplaned, sending Hendrickson spinning around into a backward head-on collision with the other car. The impact snapped the bucket seat, sending it into the backseat with Hendrickson strapped in, and through the back windshield where he hung upside down until the EMTs arrived.
"When the EMTs showed up they thought I was dead and went past me," Hendrickson said.
Hendrickson suffered a broken spine near his neck, and as a result has C-4/C-5 Quadriplegia, meaning he has paralysis in all four limbs with limited use of his right arm.
Hendrickson spent many months at the Rochester Mayo Clinic Intensive Care Unit. He was told he wouldn't be able to walk again and would have to get around using a wheelchair until therapy started. Though the news came as a complete shock, he continued to persevere through therapy and took only a year off before he returned to teach English and pursue an M.A. at MSU.
Hendrickson is president of the newly relaunched Recognized Student Organization, the Disability Awareness and Advocacy Group (DAAG), a group created to provide an avenue for individuals interested in disability-related issues to meet and discuss issues that affect them directly.
The DAAG advocacy committee organizer, Elizabeth Standaert, has her own perspective on living with a physical disability. The MSU sophomore was born with spina bifida.
"My legs aren't strong and my balance isn't great," the sociology and Spanish sophomore said. "I can walk but I'm much more myself when I'm using my wheelchair. It's hard to think about how it affects me in my everyday life because it's not new to me, it's just how my life is," she said.
The university is governed by the American Disabilities Act, which defines a disability as "anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as hearing, speaking, seeing, caring for one's self, learning, etc."
"If the person's limitations present a significant impact on a major life area, then they are considered a person with a disability," said Julie Snow, director of MSU Disability Services. "But each person is different and their needs are different."
According to statistics from the MSU Office of Disability Services, 539 students with disabilities are registered for the spring term. Of these, 26 have a mobility disability, 86 have chronic health problems, 195 have a psychiatric disability, 29 are deaf or hard of hearing, 160 have ADD/ADHD and 112 have a learning disability.
MSU student and DAAG secretary Melissa Bell has a learning disability.
"When a lot of people hear I have a learning disability they automatically think I have dyslexia, but that's not it," she said. Bell said her learning disability affects her reading, writing and comprehension abilities.
"Something in my brain didn't develop, so when I see a new word, my brain doesn't always process the different sounds and letters, so it's hard for me to read new words," she said.
During her childhood, Bell struggled with ridicule from peers and others ignorant of her situation.
DAAG members hope to raise awareness about disabilities and to dispel and counter the difficult attitudes of others.
"Sometimes people are afraid to approach a person with a disability," Stanaert said. "It can be difficult to try to break the ice with people and get them to see me and not be concerned about my disability."
Standaert wants the university community to see disability as an issue worth discussing.
"We haven't gotten to that point yet but it's important that we start a dialogue," she said.
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