The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 3, 1994 - 5 *Center for Independent Living helps the disabled take control By JENNIFER ZULSKI For the Daily Billing itself a "catalyst for per- sonal and social change and a place where pride, power and personal style come together," the Center for Independent Living focuses on help- ing the disabled. A branch of the United Way, the enter for Independent Living's un- derlying philosophy is that people with disabilities have the right to take control of their own lives and make decisions for themselves Center director Dana Emerson said the program helps people to make decisions that can make their lives easier in certain areas. "These decisions are not neces- sarily life-changing decisions, but goals that each individual sets for themselves," Emerson said. While some may wish to take control of their lives financially, others may want to find a person other than family for personal assis- tance. Emerson said the center has re- sources and staff to help individuals accomplish their goals. One of the more popular pro- grams is "Case Management." By working in conjunction with insur- ance companies and injured per- sons, Case Manager Janet McLennan can assure both the indi- vidual and the insurance companies that they are getting the best price for the services being provided. But they don't stop there. "We are different from other case man- agement programs because we go beyond merely supplying the per- son with care," McLennan said. "We also follow up and make sure that the individual is adapting comfortably to their new situa- tion." Diversability Theatre is a reper- tory company dedicated to dissect- ing and commenting on disability issues through performances by ac- tors with and without disabilities. The troupe writes all of its material, which usually deals with the per- formers' experiences with disabili- ties, and with society's concerns about people with disabilities. Past plays have dealt with politi- cal correctness and the frustrations of helping a friend with disabilities. Upcoming plays for 1995 explore the quality of life for a person con- sidering assisted suicide and a si- lent comedy about a janitor in the Warehouse of Dreams. Auditions for both shows are being held Nov. 10-11 from 6-9 p.m. at the center. Those interested can call 482-9708 for details. Don Anderson heads up the center's Disability Rights and Edu- cation section. The section deals with federal, state and local govern- ments to help enact building codes and laws for the disabled. Recently, it was active in the passage of the Wheelchair Lemon Law, which requires a manufacturer to take responsibility if its product does not work properly. The Dis- ability Rights and Education sec- tion also works within the commu- nity by helping local businesses keep up to code on access for the dis- abled. "We were recently involved with Seva restaurant and The Del Rio in order to make those buildings more accessable to the physically dis- abled. That had a real good effect on the community," Anderson said. The center also offers services to those who feel their rights as a dis- abled person are being violated. Center Coordinator Dana Emerson emphasized that the cen- ter is not only for those with physi- cal disabilities, but also for those with other disabilities such as learn- ing disabilities, or vision and hear- ing impairements. For more information about the center and its numerous services, call 971-0277. For those needing to use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you can call 971-0310. *U' couple reveals secret Thai sex habits By JOHN LOMBARD Daily Staff Reporter Professors Chanpen Saengtienchain and John Knodel study sexual habits for a living. The couple travelled to Thailand to gather data on how Thai men and women view extramarital affairs, with focus on the use of prostitutes or commercial sex workers (CSWs). "CSW is seen as something you go and do with a group of men. Going to a CSW alone in Thailand would be like going to a movie alone in the U.S.," Knodel said. Knodel, a professor for the University's Population Studies Cen- ter and sociology department, said the on for his and Saengtienchain's search focus on CSWs is that they are the main mode of HIV transmission in Thailand.' By studying the Thai culture, Knodel and Saengtienchain hope to discover the way AIDS is spread among the population at large. The virus was first transmitted in Thailand in 1989. Once CSWs became infected by intravenous drug users with r'e virus, it spread to CSW patrons. odel said the infected patrons were responsible for the incredible accelera- tion of the virus infection in the popu- lation. In Thai universities, it is common for upper-class students to take first- year students to a brothel. "You prob- ably don't know anyone who has been to a prostitute?" said Knodel. "Indeed r) some faculty ... such as Engineer- g it's almost a ritual." Knodel said men were not going to prostitutes as much because of the fear of the HIV virus. Saengtienchain, a visiting re- searcher from the Institute of Popula- tion Studies at the University of Chulalongkorn in Thailand, explained thatupper-class students were expected to treat new students to a night of ofessional sex. Knodel cited one Thai university study that showed that slightly less than half of the students had been to a prostitute, which they said was a dra- matic decrease. "The difference there is that male students don't have any moral hang-up about going to a prostitute, but there's much morereluctance for single women sleep with a man in a non-commer- cial relationship," Knodel said. "Whereas here (in the United States), it would be the reverse. It would be very deviant to go to a prostitute but it's fairly normal or ordinary to sleep with your boyfriend or girlfriend. "Married women don't feel par- ticularly unhappy or disapprove of the fact that their husbands had been to a rostitute before they got married." New book asks questions about Thomas hearing EVAN PETRIE/Daily Professors Chanpen Saengtienchain and John Knodel have studied Thailand for more than 20 years. Knodel maintained thatmarried women would turn a blind eye on their hus- bands having sex with other partners. He explained that they see CSW "as an alternative to establishing a mi- nor wife or some other kind of non- commercial relationship that would require some sort of resource commit- ment on the part of the male." For two months in 1993 and in 1994, Saengtienchain and Knodel went to Thailand to conduct their field re- search. Knodel said the Thai situation was very different from that at the University. According to Knodel, "AIDS here is not widespread outside these several risk groups - IVD users and homo- sexuals," he said. "In Thailand ... the main source of transmission has been through patronizing commercial sex workers where the levels of infections are quiet high..." Knodel explained that condom use was' on the rise due to the fear patrons have of the HIV virus. Knodel and Saengtienchain met in Thailand while Knodel was doing field research. "I was very impressed with the way Chanpen operated in the vil- lages and dealt with the common people in Thailand." Saengtienchain and Knodel have been married since 1992. Knodel, detailed how the two re- searchers operated in Thailand. Infor- mation was gathered during group in- terviews of seven people. A total of 112 Thais participated in the group inter- views. These "focus groups" talked about general perceptions and atti- tudes of Thais toward sex especiallyx extramarital affairs. The focus groups avoided talking aboutindividual behavior. Starterques- tions such as, "What do wives think 4boutcommercial sex?" would be stan- dard questions used in these group in- terviews. The focus groups were guided in their discussions by Saengtienchain and other Thai-speaking moderators. They also gathered data through one-on-one in-depth interviews. Forty- six Thais participate in the in-depth interviews. Laughing she said, "My eyes got very big when I heard some of the stories about their spouses." Knodel believes that their research is important because there is such a huge HIV problem in Thailand. With a better understanding of extramarital CSW sex, Knodel said, the Thai gov- ernment may be able respond to the problem. "We really enjoy this type of re- search ... and we learn alot personally we just get an understanding ... of the principle actors in this drama," Knodel said. "But if it wasn't fun and interest- ing, I probably wouldn't do it." Saengtienchain enjoys studying extramarital relationships because "it's about(the village people's) lives. Some- times if we don't talk with them per- sonally or individually it looks like their lives are simple, but once we talk with them more and more we learn that their lives are complex." For example, one married woman explained her attitude toward permit- ting her husband to visit a brothel. "Eat the same curry all the time, it's impor- tant to have change," Saengtienchain recalled her saying. How do the Thais view masturba- tion? "They think it's pretty normal," said Knodel. "They have an expression called Chak Wao is the expression for pulling the cord on a kite." "It would be seen as less sensitive than here," said Knodel. He explained how masturbation in the United States has a moral dimension which has been fostered by the Catholic Church. "Most Thai men do not have a lot of hang ups about sex. It isn't defined in a moral sense," said Knodel. "Thais view the sexual drive of men a more natural kind of urge that needs to be fulfilled without a lot of moral connotations to it." HeexplainedthatThai society places more constraints on women, especially when it came to masturbation. Saengtienchain said that Thai views on sex and pornography were different from those in the United States. Pic- tures of nude women were freely dis- played in public areas in Thailand such as barber shops and open markets. Pin- up posters were hung next to portraits of the Thai Royal Family and Buddhist priests. Saengtienchain said that even though pornography was more freely accepted in Thailand than here in the States, AIDS posters are also more prevalent. Saengtienchain described how men normally go about getting CSWs. In Thailand, men and women normally socialize separately. The men will go off to bars and will drink. One or two of the lead men in the group might suggest that the group go and have sex at one of the local cafes or specific brothels, explained Saengtienchain. If one man refuses to go, the others will tease him and accuse the man of being afraid of his wife. Saengtienchain said, "He will be kid- ded to the end of harvest." The man will then give in and have sex with a CSW. The Washington Post WASHINGTON - A new book about the 1991 confirmation of Su- preme Court Justice Clarence Tho- mas says that the Senate Judiciary Committee deliberately avoided fol- lowing up on additional evidence that Thomas may have lied when he de- nied allegations of sexual harassment. The book, titled "Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas," and written by two Wall Street Jour- nal reporters, describes the commit- tee as awkwardly and only half- heartedly pursuing the truth of ha- rassment charges made in testimony by law professor Anita F. Hill. It portrays individual senators as sty- mied by a lack of committee leader- ship, political fears and their own alleged personal indiscrlions. Showing Thomas as a man who talked crudely about sex and proposi- tioned female co-workers, the book calls into question his denials to the committee. It uses statements from Thomas' friends and associates from his college years through his nomina- tion to the court by then-President Bush to show that he had a long-held, active interest in pornography. Written by Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson, the book, published yester- day, already has contributed to the ideo- logical and factual debate that began with the hearings three years ago. A book published last year, "The Real Anita Hill: The Untold Story," by David Brock, contended that Hill lied in her Judiciary Committee testimony. Brock was attacked by liberals and harshly reviewed in a lengthy article in The New Yorker by Mayer and Abramson. Sen. John C. Danforth (R-Mo.) who was Thomas' chief Senate de- fender, published his own account of Thomas' confirmation hearings, titled "Resurrection." It contends that Tho- mas believed his opponents would have stopped at nothing - including fabricated stories--to derail his nomi- nation. The new book has received exten- sive publicity, including lengthy treat- ment on ABC's "Turning Point," and "Nightline." Brock, Danforth and other Thomas supporters have sought equal time in the media to counter the version presented by Mayer and Abramson. Thomas declined to comment yes- terday on the new book. His longtime friend and colleague, Armstrong Wil- liams, said "There is nothing new in the book. It's he-said, she-said, they- said. Unless there was an eyewitness there, no one knows what happened" between Thomas and Hill. The book introduces new people who might have corroborated parts of Hill's allegations if they had testified. "Strange Justice" says, "If Thomas did lie under oath, as the preponder- ance of the evidence suggests, then his performance, and that of the Sen- ate in confirming him, raises funda- mental questions about the political process that placed him on the court." U of M vs. OSU BLOOD BATTLE Please Donate Blood! ws BROWNING' patagonias plus fine American and European Antique Furniture 803 N. Main " Ann Arbor 761-9200 Mon. - Sat. 10-6 11/7 11/8 11/9 11/10 11/11 11/13 11/14-11/18 Bursley Stockwell B-School Markley East Quad South Quad Mi. Union 3-8:30 pm 2-7:30 pm 1-6:30 pm 2-7:30 pm 12-5:30 pm 1-6:30 pm 1-6:30 pm Call for appointments at 663-6004 (leave a message) Walk-ins welcome, Bring a friend!! 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