Todd Parrett won’t let his wheelchair diminish his love for sports. Parrett is studying to be an athletic trainer, and he enjoys playing wheelchair basketball and weightlifting.
He sits among other college students at the small tables in the Colvin Center with his backpack dangling from his shoulders. A backward cap adorns his head and his wrist is laced with a variety of colored bracelets supporting different causes.
He travels the ramps at the Colvin nearly every day because that’s where his athletic training classes are held.
Because it is a newer building, the Colvin accommodates him better than most on campus.
When his friends made a Facebook group called “People Who Walk Around Campus and Get Run Over By Tadd,” they weren’t referring to his bad driving or biking skills.
Tadd Parrett is in a wheelchair.
Each day Parrett and many others face the difficulties of living with disabilities that have made them wheelchair bound. Though several students suffer from debilitating injuries or diseases that have caused them to spend their lives in a wheelchair, accommodations and opportunities are increasing for them.
Parrett is one of many who, because of their eclectic array of activities, make it nearly impossible to believe they are physically challenged.
“I’m the worst (person with a disability) ever,” Parrett said. “I love being outdoors and fishing, and I’m all about playing any kind of sport.”
His love of sports deserves partial credit for steering him to his career goal of becoming an athletic trainer. He’s been known to play a mean game of wheelchair basketball and one of his favorite hobbies is weightlifting. In fact, besides becoming an athletic trainer, he also plans to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
Young people across the United States who are wheelchair bound are becoming more involved because of opportunities such as the Paralympics and other small programs that have developed.
According to the Paralympics Web site, participation has increased significantly in the last few decades and is expected to continue increasing. The Paralympics has 20 events that people with disabilities can compete in, ranging from football to wheelchair tennis and equestrian.
Participation on the OSU campus comes through the OSU Wheelchair Basketball Team. The team competes as part of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, which is where some of the Paralympics team members are selected from.
Nick Olding, a member of the OSU Wheelchair Basketball Team, has been enjoying the opportunity to play with the team since last August.
“One of the benefits is getting to be a part of a team where the other players are going through the same things you are,” Olding said.
Students like Olding often face challenges on campus in regards to their disabilities. OSU tries to accommodate students with disabilities across campus in addition to providing outlets for them to participate in together.
According to the OSU Library Web site, reserved handicap parking spots are available in the lot west of the Edmon Low Library, wheelchair access doors at the north entrance and wheelchair accessible restrooms on the first floor. The library also provides a wheelchair accessible photocopier and help from the reference desk assistants for retrieving materials that disabled students have trouble accessing.
A study in the Journal of Athletic Training reported that more than 54 million Americans are living with a disability, and accommodations, much like those that the library has adopted, are on the rise in academic programs. The study found that 9 percent of students seek some type of relief or accommodation for a disability, about 1.53 million students.
OSU has managed to provide some of the accommodations that disabled students are looking for even beyond the library. For instance, the campus bus system is fully accessible to wheelchair bound individuals. Wade Westwood, an OSU student and a campus bus driver, said he often picks up students with disabilities on his routes.
“Every bus is equipped with wheelchair accessibility ramps and lifts, and in my experience, people are always happy to shift seats if necessary to make room,” Westwood said.
Parrett said there are still some areas that present difficulties for students in wheelchairs though. He said that new buildings are considerably more suited for him, but old buildings, such as Ag Hall, make navigation difficult. He joked that complications are always in store when it comes to stairs, and is glad most of his classes take place in the Colvin Center because of its easily accessible ramps, elevators and large bathrooms.
Though there may be room for improvement, Parrett said he is not looking for sympathy.
Olding said his main challenge is getting people to realize that because he is in a wheelchair doesn’t mean he is unable to do certain tasks.
David Hosch, a former OSU student, said the biggest challenge disabled people deal with is everyone else’s perception of them.
“When somebody sees me on the street, I’m not there to get attention or make them feel sorry for me,” Hosch said. “I’m just trying to live my life. I have the same hopes and aspirations as anybody else.”
Hosch credited the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 for allowing disabled people to have just as much of a right to be fully accommodated for as everyone else in America. He said that since the act was implemented, accessibility has increased and people have become more aware that individuals with disabilities are more than capable of leading a “normal” life.
Parrett, who plans to graduate in May, dreams of finding a job as an athletic trainer with a Division I school’s football program and maybe even work for the NFL someday. Regardless of where he ends up, he isn’t going to let a wheelchair get in his way.
Parrett said that it has just never really been a problem for him.
Hosch said he believes that things will continue to get better for people with disabilities.
“The future looks good,” Hosch said. “Wheelchair bound people are husbands, wives, parents, bosses, employees and customers. Every day more people realize that we can be, and are, productive members of society.”
Loading ...
All Articles