Disabilities

The teachers had a training session about disability awareness lots of interesting issues about perceptions people have about disability. I broke my pelvis once and had to walk with stiff legs for a while, I remember one evening in a pub having a really hard time getting served. One of the girls giving the presentation had a three fingered hand. Well at least she can still do flemmings left hand rule (physics joke). I once climbed with someone who had a hand that looked like a blown up rubber glove, I was always scared that it would burst. In the early years of the college we had two completely blind students David and Pawel, the teachers were promised extensive training to prepare for this, I think we had half a day. The first weeks were quite tough for the two lads, sometimes one would take a wrong turn and end up in the middle of the bushes they'd sometimes be there for some time before someone could be bothered to rescue them. How they never fjell in the fjord I'll never know. David did physics which was quite a challenge for me (a bigger one for him) since physics is so visual, the smart board wouldn't be so good for him (although to come to think of it if he used a tactile screen and snowshoveller.....). I tried all sorts of tricks to help him visualise, whistling graphs, throwing things at him, pushing him round the room, sticking electrical contacts to his tongue, spinning him in his chair, exposing him to high energy radiation (the last one was a joke). When they did their exams some teachers had to describe diagrams to them, I did this in the chemistry exam. I remember they were sitting facing the triangle window in the Høegh. Once when another teacher (Mark) was with them I walked backwards and forwards past the window trying to make Mark laugh. I succeded.