Lawn's new addition
We have those pretty new wheelchair ramps. But it's only a start.
And in some ways, modernization for the disabled has taken a back seat to historical nostalgia.
But in one small way, this is about to change - starting with the Lawn.
Lawn resident Mazen Basrawi, a fourth-year College student who has been blind all his life, has used his handheld Braille label maker to put residents' names and their room numbers on each door.
And finally, people are starting to take notice.
"I've been pushing this for about two years now," Basrawi said. "You can walk into any new or renovated building and you'll notice that next to the rooms in those buildings are Braille numbers."
All buildings built since 1990 have had to include Braille lettering beside every room number, according to the Americans With Disabilities Act.
But this, of course, excludes the vast majority of University buildings.
"There's no Braille anywhere in Cabell, Rouss or Clark, where I had most of my classes," said Basrawi from his Lawn room yesterday afternoon.
He had to get other people to show him where his classes were.
The new addition of Braille lettering on Lawn rooms is an important step toward making the University more empathetic toward the needs of the disabled, he said.
"I said before I came here, 'you've gotta start somewhere' - Let's put Braille on the Lawn," he added.
With this new addition, Basrawi hopes the University community will be more open about disabilities.
And all it took was a few 3/8-inch thick strips of black plastic and a handheld Braille label maker.
Compiled by Adam Justice
Odds ideas? Call Ryann at 924-1092
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