Aaron Miller
As the university considers improvements to its intramural facilities, IM sports coordinator Jim Renuk is hoping for input from persons with disabilities.
\Research states that fit people are healthy people," Renuk said. "This does not exclude people with disabilities."
With this in mind, Renuk is asking that people with disabilities e-mail him at jmrenuk@imsports.msu.edu and give him ideas on how to improve the intramural facilities - especially IM Sports-West - and make them more usable.
The questions he wants answered cover a wide range of issues:
- Several of these chairs were recently installed at university pools. Users can sit in the chair and be lowered into the water by pushing a button, thereby making it easier for people with disabilities and others to get in and out of the pool. Should the fitness center have hand ergometers and some adaptive weight machines so people do not have to get out of their wheelchairs?
- Is there any interest in joining or creating a sport club or even a wheelchair basketball team?
- What type of locker room facilities are best?
- What temperature should the pool water be?
While many of these questions do not affect people without disabilities, they are crucial to a person who uses a wheelchair or who has limited mobility. That's why Renuk and other officials say they are continually conscious of improving IM facilities for people with disabilities.
Recent improvements include an accessible entrance ramp to IM Sports-Circle and several new chair lifts at university pools. The chairs sit above the water where a person can easily get in and out of the chair. After situated in the chair, the person pushes a button and is lowered into the water, making it easier to get in and out of the pool.
"I have a hard time with the way our exit ladders are in the pool," said Dr. Larry Sierra, director of Intramural Sports and Recreative Services. "It's very hard to pull your body weight up on them, so we have a lot of retirees and wheelchair users who swim and use the chair to get in and out of the pool."
While no definite major changes are scheduled, Sierra and Renuk said they still need to hear suggestions about possible improvements and that whatever changes are made, people with disabilities will not be left out.
"Any renovations that we do, we will always take into consideration persons with disabilities," Sierra said. "We don't think of anything without mentioning accessibility."
If you do not want to contact Renuk directly, please contact your RCPD specialist and ask them to confidentially forward your suggestions to Renuk at jmrenuk@imsports.msu.edu.