Ninety-One Years of Editorial Freedom P girl a ai APRIL SHO)WERS Scattered thundershowers possible with a high in the low 6s Vol. XCI, No. 147 Copyright 1981, The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan, Wednesday, April 1, 1981 Ten Cents Twelve Pages Handicapped students cope with life at the U By KATHLYN HOOVER T HE WOMAN WALKS into the lecture hail and pauses by the door. Her dog Angel waits patiently by her side. "Can someone help me find a seat please?" she asks. No response. SHE ASKS AGAIN. Still no response. . Finally the chatter dies to a low murmur. She knows this means the professor has arrived. She asks for assistance once more. Finally someone gets up and helps her find a seat. ., WHEN THE OTHER students in the class are worrying about how hard the next exam will be and how boring the lecturer is, Margie Minor's first concern is finding a seat. But then life has always posed special challenges for the LSA senior, who went blind ten years ago after contrac- ting glaucoma. Since she came to the University three years ago, Minor said she has encountered a variety of reactions from in- structors and students ranging from helpful to patronizing and condescending. INCIDENTS LIKE the classroom scene noted above have happened numerous times, and Minor said she knows they will happen again. "It's hard, people can really make it hard. Some people fall all over trying to help me even'when I don't need it. Others will challenge me by not helping at all and that's just as patronizing," she said. Instructors can sometimes pose special problems. Some say they don't want her to tape their lectures, and others think she'll be too much trouble in the class. "I've had in- structors say, 'I think this course will be too difficult for you. How will you do the paper? I don't want you recor- See 'U', Page 7 Hinekley' s intent spelled out in letter UNIVERSITY STUDENT Ann Daly has multiple sclerosis. Like other disabled students here she shares a unique perspective on life. From AP and UPI WASHINGTON-John Warnock Hinckley Jr., accused of shooting President Reagan, spelled out his intent to kill the chief executive in an unmailed letter to the young co-star of a movie about assassination, congressional and Justice Depar- tment sources said yesterday. The sources said investigators found a letter ad- dressed to 18-year-old movie actress Jodie Foster. She was featured in the film "Taxi Driver," in which the male lead plots the assassination of a political figure. ACCORDING TO the sources, Hinckley wrote: "I'm going to do it for you." Meanwhile, President Reagan rebounded yesterday from gunshot surgery "extremely well" and with a strong dose of humor as he signed a major economic bill and otherwise resumed command of the country. Reagan was described by doctors as being in "excellent spirits," fewer than 24 hours after an assailant's bullet was removed from his left lung. "THE PRESIDENT continues on the road to recovery. He is doing extremely well," Reagan's personal physician, Dr. Daniel Ruge, said in a later statement issued at the White House at 5 p.m. EST. "After sleeping this morning, he has spent the day reading newspapers. From time to time he is sitting up in bed." A top White House official also declared yester- day that press secretary James Brady is "going to live" and said chances are good that he would not be permanently impaired by the bullet which pierced his brain in the assassination attempt on President Reagan. White House chief of staff James Baker said yesterday that "A - he's going to live; B - they think the mental capacity will be there." Doctors called Brady's progress "extraor- dinary," but were uncertain about prospects for complete recovery. There is a possibility 'of weakness in the left side of his body or, perhaps, some paralysis. FROM CONGRESS to the White House to President Reagan's hospital room, officials sought to reassure Americans yesterday that the government "did not skip a beat" when the chief executive was shot, and is running smoothly while he recuperates from an assassination attempt. Vice President George Bush, who cut short a trip to Texas and rushed back to Washington after Reagan was wounded Monday, became the president's stand-in. He received the daily national security briefing, presided over a Cabinet meeting, visited Capitol Hill, and welcomed visiting Dutch Prime Minister H.E. Andreas Van Agt. HOWEVER, BUSH and members of the White House staff took pains to portray Reagan as the fast-recovering boss who remains in charge. "He (Reagan) is president of the United States and actually signed a bill this morning," the vice president said. "I will be taking over some meetings that the president would have participated in, but I'm in most of them anyway," Bush added. "So it's business as usual to the best we can do it." THE SECRET Service started an internal in- vestigation yesterday to determine whether all possible precautions were taken to protect President Reagan before and after he and three others were shot Monday: The investigation will cover allegations by some members of the media that bystanders-including the suspect, John Hinckley Jr.-were allowed into an area reserved for the press, and allegations Hinckley was "acting strange" as he stood among reporters, Warner said. "None of this has been verified, but we've got to find out whether it's fiction or fact," he said. CONGRESSIONAL gun control advocates yesterday demanded tougher federal restrictions in the wake of the attempted assassination of President Reagan, but they found no sign of sup- port from the Reagan team. Attorney General William Smith told reporters that he doubts the shooting will cause the ad- More on the life of John Hinckley, See Page 3. Secret Service begins internal investigation, See Page 9. ministration to veer from its longstanding op- position to federal handgun edntrols. The FBI identified the weapon used in the shooting as a .22-caliber Rohm Model RG-14. The Rohm company is a West German firm. THE SIX-SHOT revolver falls in the category popularly known as "Saturday night specials." They are generally inexpensive, and small enough to be concealed in a coat pocket. Edwin Meese III, Reagan's counselor, said on the PBS show "The MacNeil-Lehrer Report," that handgun control would not have kept John Hin- ckley Jr., the president's accused assailant, from getting a gun. Meanwhile, Vice President George Bush's office See HINCKLEY'S. Page 2 U' lacks transportation for handicapped students By KATHLYN HOOVER New students face similar problems when they come to the University. They worry about handling thie workload, finding. housing, getting lost and making friends. But in addition to these common psychological and academic worries, the physicall handicapped student has to over- come physical barriers such as buildings that aren't accessible, a spread-out cam- pus with little accessible transportation to help the physically disabled to get around. CURRENTLY, the University campus is not regarded as very accessible to the han- dicapped, according to advocates for disabled students. A survey completed in 1979 of ten univer- sities with populations of 30,000 students or more showed that the University was the only school without adequate transportation for handicapped students. The survey was done by the University's. Disabled Student Services office. Another group on campus, Breakthrough, was recently formed to work with the University on problems that handi.,_ pped students en- counter. Spokespersons from both DSS and Breakthrough say they believe many han- dicapped students don't come to the Univer- sity because of its low accessibility ratings. "GETTING TO CLASS is a staple of sur- vival at a university. Very few (handicap- ped) people come here because the know nothing's been done," said Steven Biehle, editor of the handicapped newsletter, The Advocate. "I think there is a kind of block on doing things for the handicapped, a lot of fear," he added. "The law is general and the accoun- tants start doing their adding up and think it will cost too much money." Breakthrough member Margie Minor said she knows of some disabled students who don't even take classes in the winter because of the difficulty getting to class. AND, ACCORDING TO DSS Program Director Jim Kubaiko, some disabled students even drop out. Most of the University's buildings have been made accessible to mobility impaired students. All of the residence halls except for See DISABLED, Page 9 'Ordinary People' wins Hutton supporting Oscar HOLLYWOOD (AP) - Timothy Hut- ton, who played the guilt-ridden younger son in "Ordinary People," won the Oscar for best supporting actor of 1980 at the 53rd Academy Awards last night. The ceremony had gotten off to a serious start as a straight-faced Johnny Carson explained why the show was postponed for 24 hours - the assassination attempt on President Reagan. "I'M SURE THAT all of you here and those of you watching tonight under- stand why we have delayed this program for 24 hours," said Carson, host for the third year. "Because of the incredible events of yesterday, the old adage 'the show must go on' seemed relatively unimportant." Carson added that the situation had improved and Reagan was feeling much better, at which the Los Angeles Music Center audience erupted in ap- plause. Carson also said Reagan was reported to have ordered a television set in his hospital room so he could wat- ch the Oscarcast. The pre-award ceremonies went off with as much hoopla as ever. A bleacher crowd of 1,000 fans applauded favorites, with the loudest cheers ac- corded Dolly Parton, Goldie Hawn, and Mary Tyler Moore. THE ACADEMY HAD delayed a decision on whether to televise opening greetings that Reagan had taped nearly two weeks ago. But at 3 a.m. yesterday, academy president Fay Kanin received the message from the White House: "The president said to go ahead and use the tape in any way you want." In the remarks, Reagan, a former movie actor, told the audience that "the miracle of American technology links us with millions of moviegoers around the world." Planning next year's. course load? Check tomorrow's Daily for courses that some studen- ts say are easy. And don't miss Friday's edition, either. Which concentration programs have the lowest average grade points? Do students with the highest G.P.A.'s study more? Friday's Daily will answer these questions and more with a complete listing of average grades given in every class taught during fall term 1980. Spring Fling Sunlight dances on a Frisbee, assisted by the nimble fingers of LSA sophomore David Powell. With the weather turning beautiful at long last, can finals be far away? - TODAY- Going ape over primates ROFESSOR HUGH Gilmore has been enlivening the serious primatology studies of his Anthropology 368 class on primate behavior with a little class participation. Earlier in the year Gilmore sponsored a hunt for the only hamadryas baboons on campus-which an intrepid student located in a stone frieze outside the LSA building's loading dock. Today brings the primatology event of the year-the primatologist inke nntest. Manv resnnnes have come in sn far to the old-fashioned economy Gretchen Brown of Spokane, Wash. isn't about to buy a Japanese import-she knows the value and economy of the American automobile first-hand. Since 1936, Brown has driven the same Oldsmobile coupe, which she bought for a mere $925. And even more amazing, Brown has yet to return to the dealership. "I'm 76 now. It will last me as long as I live, I'm sure," Brown confidently predicts. The Olds may have lasted longer than most modern models because of its relatively easy life. Brown has taken only two long sacked his home, Calvin Sterk of Grand Rapids has decided to join them in illegal activity. Sterk is openly offering to buy a hot radio, wristwatch, and suit-the very items stolen from his home in March. The sign in front of the Sterk home reads, "To the thieves who stole my belongings: I will buy them back at top dollar. Suit is $75. Radio is $50." Sterk, who joined local fences in competing for his belongings out of frustration, called his scher ie "an honest, bona fide genuine offer" with no questions asked. Sterk resorted to the peculiar method of buying back his own belongings because of the immense personal value of some of the a public housing project with an unsavory reputation The Rev. Dr. Buck Jones, director of a welfare reform gruup. cordially invited the candidates to live in the pro ject. saying the move would be "a humanitarian decision." Then he proceeded to describe the candidates' possible future residence. Junkies sometimes order tenants to move their cars when they interfere with drug trafficking, Jones said, and shootings at the housing complex are "an every day af fair." Candidate Wamser said he couldn't move because he was already paying for one mortgage, while Candidate Shoemehi said, "I cannot afford to maintain two homes." ,l i i