Tutoring from a wheelchair

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33719, 17 December 1974, Page 7

Tutoring from a wheelchair

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND. Tutor Sister Pauline Stansfield, whose injuries in a bus accident in Russia in 1967 left her paralysed from the waist down, now faces her second year of tutoring in the Central School of Nursing, Green Lane, from a wheelchair. At the end of next year she will take up a tutoring post in the new nursing course in Wellington Polytechnic.

She finds her wheelchair poses problems during practical classes, when she needs others to assist her. Sister Stansfield lectures up to 110 student nurses at a time. So that she could return to work at Green Lane last January, the Auckland Hos pital Board had to provide, special ramps, chalk-holders, a lectern and a special park for her modified mini car. “But it’s quite surprising how far you can actually reach from a wheelchair,’ she says. She finds that being paralysed she now hat “new insight into the feelings of patients.” Sister Stansfield, whc lives at Birkenhead, went tc

Europe in 1967 after completing her B.A. degree in England. After she had made ;ome recovery from her accident, her tutor colleagues at Royal Free Hospital, London, talked her into completing Ker registered nurse’s utor diploma. : ON COMMITTEE She is on the committee I if the Paraplegic Association! md helps organise activities! or disabled people. “I’ve played bowls, darts, light-ball, shot-put, discus, avelin and a lot of table ennis,” she says. “In Engand I tried archery and warn regularly.” “I’ll never be a brilliant sportswoman, but I feel that me can develop character ihrough a sport which is tard to get any other way vhen you’re in a wheelchair. “The competitive aspect is very important for disabled ieople. particularly when hey can compete on equal jrounds with able-bodic, ieople.” There are two points vhich particularly concern Sister Stansfield about the ights of the disabled. The irst is ramp accecs to buildngs and suitable toilet faclities. The Auckland City Council passed a by-law givng special access to buildings, but she says that most if the educational in- ■ ititutions throughout the I country are fairly in!accessable.

The second was the need for the Government to ex-( smpt from sales tax cars for disabled drivers. In Australia this was done 14 years ago. The sum available from the Kiwi lottery fund was too restricted.