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Campus Improvement Gives Student More Independence
by Heather Tourtellotte
Chris Spurrier
Chris's van that he drives from home to school each week.
The inside of Chris' van
The black boxes that make it possible for chris to drive
Not only does Chris drive but he uses a cell phone as well.
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Junior Chris Spurrier generally drives to Mars Hill College from Upper Hominey and parks his dark green van in the Blackwell parking lot. The side doors open and he steers onto a ramp, which moves like an elevator down to the ground. He gets off the ramp, presses some buttons on his remote control, and the ramp goes back up and the doors close.
He then steers his motorized wheelchair to the doors of Blackwell Hall and presses the new button with the handicapped symbol on it. The doors open automatically, allowing him to wheel right in.
Last semester Spurrier had to wait outside until someone came in or out and held the door for him. Now he can just press the button and the doors open.
"My main concern was getting around due to (the difficulty) of opening doors," Spurrier said. "The issue is being met and I am very thankful. It's a starting point." There is no more waiting out in the cold for him.
Six pressure-pad buttons were installed for the doors in Blackwell, Marshbanks, Cornwell, and the Library over Christmas break.
Independence is very important to Spurrier. He can now get around on campus better without having to depend on others.
Once he has entered the bottom floor of Blackwell, he takes the elevator up to the second floor. That puts him at the level where most of the buildings are on the college's hilly campus. Spurrier now exits Blackwell and heads to his Psychology classes in Marshbanks Hall.
Spurrier was a junior in high school when a car accident left him with a spinal cord injury. He missed his junior year because of hospitalization and rehabilitation. He did his class work while he was in the hospital to try to stay caught up.
He returned to Enka High the next year and graduated. He started at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College three weeks after graduation.
After graduating from A-B Tech with a two-year Associate of Arts degree, he entered Mars Hill College last August and is now a junior psychology major. He decided to come to Mars Hill College because "The people are nice, and I have more in common with the people here."
After he graduates Mars Hill, Spurrier wants to go to graduate school for a degree in the field of counseling.
At the end of his classes, Spurrier takes the trip back to Blackwell and down to the first floor. Before he is even out of the building he is pressing buttons to open his van.
The van is custom built to give him total independence. Pressing a red and then a green button opens the van doors and lowers the ramp to the ground.
When he gets to his van he backs onto the ramp, which then lifts him up so he can maneuver into the driver's seat. The wheelchair locks into the place where the driver's seat would normally be.
There is a regular steering wheel, but Spurrier uses the smaller steering wheel that is placed on a black box to his right.
Next to the window is another black box set up with three sticks that look similar to the joysticks used to play video games.
Spurrier explains that the joysticks are used for his gas, brake, horn, windshield wipers, turn signals, and lights. He pulls one back for the gas, pushes another forward for the brake, and moves a third one sideways to work the horn, wipers, signals, and lights.
He explained that a regular driver's seat can be reinstalled and a switch can be hit to turn the van back into a regular vehicle.
Spurrier had to take a total of 50 hours of driver's training to get his license. Twenty-five hours were spent learning how to drive. A driving instructor from Atlanta brought a replica of a handicapped accessible van to Spurrier to teach him how to drive one. Then he spent another 25 hours learning how to drive in his own van.
It took 16 weeks to get his van modified, and it was finished near the end of June. He finished his driver's training in July, just in time to start school in August.
Despite the fact that Spurrier is a commuter and in a wheelchair, he hasn't missed a day of class, except for snow days. His Developmental Psychology Professor Gail Sawyer said, "He was very responsible in my class, turned in assignments, was never late for class and never missed class."
Senior Kristen Robinson said, "I had a class with Chris last semester and found that he is a very determined person. He is also very kind and does not let his handicap get him down. He is definitely a role model for others and fits the motto "Anything is possible." I was very surprised to find that he drives himself to school and was amazed by his efforts towards doing things."
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