Students with disabilities overcome many hurdles

9:57 a.m. The morning ritual of the sleep-deprived student -- roll out of bed, sprint to class and start scribbling notes just as the professor begins his 10 a.m. lecture. It's not always that easy, though. Those students at the University who have disabilities often must find alternatives to hearing their alarm clocks, climbing the stairs to class and taking notes. But with the help of the Office of Affirmative Action, the University helps students with disabilities "lead a college life just like anyone else would lead," Wharton junior Andrew Feuerstein said. Feuerstein, a student with muscular dystrophy, uses a wheelchair on campus. According to Alice Nagle, who serves as coordinator of programs for people with disabilities, "a number of different types of disabilities are represented by students in the University." These disabilities include physical, sensory --Einvolving both vision and hearing, chronic diseases that require medical supervision or medication, traumatic brain injuries, learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. Nagle, in conjunction with the Office of Affirmative Action, strives to provide an environment that makes all opportunities at the University accessible to students with disabilities. "We try to promote equal education and opportunity and provide a most integrated system," Nagle said. "Students with disabilities can enjoy the full benefits of the programs and services of the University." Students overwhelmingly commended Nagle's compassion and efforts to meet their needs. "In [Nagle] we have somebody who really is sympathetic to the needs of disabled students," third-year English graduate student Dan Simpson said. However, many students said Nagle suffers from a limited staff to do the tremendous amount of work required of her position. "She is just understaffed," said Simpson, who is legally blind. Students who indicate that they have disabilities comprise less than one percent of students at the University. Of those 300 students with disabilities, more than half are afflicted by some type of learning disability, according to Nagle. During the admissions process, however, applicants often do not indicate that they have any type of disability. As a result, the Admissions Office accepts applicants without knowledge of their possible disabilities. "Unless people self-identify during the application process, we don't know who has a learning disability and who doesn't," said Sue Hess, assistant to the Dean of Admissions. "Once students are here at Penn and have a disability of any sort, they work through the Office of Affirmative Action to get the support that they need." Hess said that, as an academic institution, the University appeals to all students, regardless of any limitations they may have. "If they are competitive students in high school, they will be attracted to Penn for all the reasons any other applicant would be attracted to the University," she added.