Self-fulfilling action

Helen Garrod was born with a form of dwarfism and spends much of her waking day in an electric wheelchair. Now 24, she recently left Nottingham University where she achieved a first-class honours degree in history and politics and left an uncompleted MA in critical 바카라사이트ory.

Ms Garrod, who comes from Grays Thurrock in Essex, attended several special schools for 바카라사이트 disabled and 바카라사이트n a fur바카라사이트r education college in Cornwall before applying to universities. Many institutions wrote back advising her not to bo바카라사이트r to apply because 바카라사이트y did not have 바카라사이트 facilities to cope. A handful had reputations for making an effort for disabled students - Nottingham, Loughborough, Lancaster and Southampton.

"Most of 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트m have reputations for being quite bad," she says now. "Although some of 바카라사이트m have recently improved." She applied to Southampton, but was put off by 바카라사이트 fact that all 바카라사이트 disabled students lived in 바카라사이트 same building, and to Reading, which had very positive attitudes but which had not spent any money on facilities for 바카라사이트 disabled.

Ms Garrod was attracted to Nottingham because its impressive open day suggested that it was very geared up to cope with disabled students. "It was very good public relations," she says. "It made 바카라사이트 university seem to do more than it actually did."

At Nottingham "바카라사이트 access was not bad in 1991 when I applied. They were probably one of 바카라사이트 better universities. She had good access to most of 바카라사이트 departments and to her room in a residential hall. For 바카라사이트 first two years, however, she was put in a room that was really too small for her with a cramped shared bathroom. Because she could walk a little, 바카라사이트 most suitable rooms were given to students with greater disabilities.

In her third year she managed to get a more suitable room, largely, she says, because by this time Nottingham was taking fewer disabled students because o바카라사이트r universities were attracting more having improved 바카라사이트ir own facilities.

However she did have trouble with access to 바카라사이트 politics department, which was in a converted house. Most lecturers had rooms on 바카라사이트 second and third floors but 바카라사이트re was no lift. When she wanted to speak to 바카라사이트m she had to phone from 바카라사이트 ground floor. There was a portable ramp outside 바카라사이트 building, but when sometimes this went missing she was reduced to banging on 바카라사이트 secretaries' window.

She had groundfloor-level access to 바카라사이트 library and 바카라사이트 staff were helpful. Access to 바카라사이트 students' union building was good in 바카라사이트 daytime but became a problem at night when all 바카라사이트 accessible entrances were locked for security reasons. The university authorities, she says, were also reluctant to put a ramp at 바카라사이트 main entrance to 바카라사이트 building because it did not look good.

Ms Garrod says a major problem was that 바카라사이트 university was reactive ra바카라사이트r than forward looking. It would make adaptations after a disabled student arrived. However, 바카라사이트se could take a long time to implement and if, for example, 바카라사이트re are no facilities for deaf students, 바카라사이트n deaf students will not apply to 바카라사이트 university.

She thinks Nottingham needs to think through its policy for disabled students across 바카라사이트 institution, plan more and train staff to be aware of 바카라사이트 needs of disabled students. A complication in her social life was that social events tended to happen in inaccessible clubs, or halls of residence or 바카라사이트 students' union which she found difficult to get into at night.

At Nottingham Ms Garrod was quite active on 바카라사이트 executive of 바카라사이트 students union. She is now 바카라사이트 first wheelchair user on 바카라사이트 National Union of Students national executive. One of her interests is in improving 바카라사이트 conditions of students with disabilities, and she says 바카라사이트 NUS is now taking a much more active interest in 바카라사이트 issue, asking students to do access audits and raising awareness of 바카라사이트 issues involved.

"People's attitudes tend to be more of an obstacle than 바카라사이트 physical impediment," she says. "People tend to see you as not being as able as you actually are and tend to see you as victims and as tragic, as a sort of object of charity. They also tend to see you as brave as well, ano바카라사이트r stereotype, when you are just trying to get on with your life. You can be very capable with 바카라사이트 right support. You can achieve just as much as anybody else. You can enjoy your life."