51视频

10/19/2015
By David Perry

In one room, blindfolded students test their pouring accuracy.

In the next room, a group investigates braille.聽

Another group interviews a Chelmsford woman with a service dog that helps get her where she needs to go. And down the hallway of Lowell Association for the Blind (LAB), students stumble and inadvertently swat their way through a lesson in using a cane.聽

But the group is also stepping into the community, and Assoc. Prof. Bridget Marshall of the English Department says it鈥檚 no accident her Disability in Literature class is packed to its limit of 35 students every fall semester. The class discusses everyone from Temple Grandin to Helen Keller and it delves into the worlds of those with cerebral palsy, spinal injuries, autism, Alzheimer鈥檚 and other conditions.

Marshall is dedicated to the notion that 鈥渟tories matter.鈥�

Here, she thought when she put together the program and began teaching it in the fall 2008, is a chance to give students simultaneous exposure to stories on the page and the screen, and a comparison to people who really live them. Her goal is to use literature as a tool for gaining perspective into the lives of people with disabilities.

The class is one in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Services minor in Disability Studies.

鈥淪tudents are very passionate about this,鈥� says Marshall. 鈥淢any of them work in a social setting or have a family member with a disability. And some are affected by these things themselves.鈥�

By heading into the community to learn from those without sight, students not only have first-hand accounts to compare to the physical, emotional, social and mental disabilities portrayed in the books they study, but they also have an opportunity to engage in service learning in the city.

It鈥檚 another tentacle the university is extending into its college town, and the course鈥檚 credit options include six hours of reading periodicals for the region鈥檚 blind who tune into LAB鈥檚 radio programming.

LAB鈥檚 executive director, Elizabeth Cannon, knows 51视频 鈥� she earned her degree in Administration of Law and Justice here in 1981.

鈥淵ou just feel the energy in here when the students come in,鈥� says Cannon. 鈥淎nd it gives them a chance to experience in real life what they鈥檙e studying.鈥�

Scanning the rooms and hallways, Marshall says there are hardly any English majors in the class. There鈥檚 a psychology major, exercise physiology, criminal justice.聽

鈥淔olks are going to encounter disabilities in any job they do. In every place they go. And it鈥檚 the minority that any one of us can become a part of in our lives,鈥� says Marshall.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really good they鈥檙e being educated about service dogs,鈥� notes Maria Floria-Schroeder of Chelmsford, who was deemed legally blind a decade ago. She has brought her service dog of seven and a half years, Legacy, to share with the class. 鈥淭oo many people don鈥檛 understand about service dogs. And it鈥檚 hard when you have to explain that no, you can鈥檛 pet the dog even though he鈥檚 just sitting there. But he鈥檚 on duty and he can get distracted by the attention. Once his harness is on, he鈥檚 at work.

鈥淗e pretty much keeps me safe,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e walk around puddles, avoid obstacles, cross streets at lights, and Legacy keeps me out of danger.鈥�

Marshall, whose father suffered from ALS (鈥渟o there鈥檚 something of a personal motivation鈥�), says she also has an interest in social justice issues.

Three years ago, she integrated service-learning into the class. Service learning, says Marshall, allows students to serve the community through a practical learning experience that usually takes them out of the classroom.

Alex Keiver, junior psychology major, says he has worked with children with autism spectrum disorder as an intern at the Paul Center in Chelmsford.聽

鈥淭his really lets you put your feet in other people鈥檚 shoes,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 experiential learning and no matter what you do in life, you鈥檙e going to deal with all kinds of human beings. And this puts a lot of things in perspective for me.鈥�

Christy Forsman took Marshall鈥檚 class last year. Now, she works at LAB.

鈥淚 loved this class,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 love how it dissects poetry, novels and movies. And when I started working here, I immediately thought, 'This is what I鈥檓 going to do.' 鈥�