Students wheel themselves across the court and hurl basketballsat the hoops. Sometimes they have a hard time turning.

Playing ball is easier when you have two good feet, they say,but these students don’t use wheelchairs normally — they’re takingthe Wheelchair Basketball class offered at Michigan StateUniversity.

Wheelchair basketball started this fall at Michigan State withefforts from the university’s kinesiology department and TonyFilippis, Sr., co-founder of Wright & Filippis, the companythat donated wheelchairs for the students taking the class.

The program was started to promote handicap awareness to bothdisabled and fully able- bodied students.

“I’m 89 years old, lost both legs when I was 12, and I havenever felt such discrimination as a disabled person,” Filippissaid. “Disabled persons are the most discriminated people in theworld.”

“These people want to be independent, and I’m going to make surethat they are,” Filippis added.

Currently there is no similar program at Northwestern, butofficials said the issues promoted in Michigan State’s class areimportant for all NU students.

“Anything that can be done to have students with disabilities tointeract with the student body is very positive,” said Margie Roe,NU’s coordinator for services for students with disabilities.

According to Roe, a local club team of wheelchair basketballathletes came to campus in Winter Quarter 2002 to playrecreationally against non-basketball NU athletes, in the hopes ofdemonstrating the true competitiveness of the sport.

“Just because someone is in a wheelchair doesn’t make them lessof an athlete,” Roe said.

At Michigan State, Filippis spent much of his time promoting theprogram at the university until the class began.

According to Deborah Feltz, chairwoman of the kinesiologydepartment at Michigan State, the class was designed with the helpof John Pedraza, the disability resource coordinator for employeesand psychiatric disabilities specialists at Michigan State.

“So far, the program has sparked a greater consciousness fordisabled students at (Michigan State),” Feltz said.

Michigan State kinesiology graduate student LaShonda King saidtaking the class has helped her gain more respect for and becomemore aware of disabled athletics.

“I have a basketball background, but learning chair positioningand different means of communicating has been a great challenge,”King said.

The California native said she hopes to work with a diversegroup of both able-bodied and disabled students in her futurejob.

Weinberg sophomore Jenny Kim said having an increased number ofdiverse courses would benefit the student body.

“I certainly think non-traditional class options should beoffered,” Kim said. “Wheelchair basketball would be a greatstart.”

Reach Christie Ileto at [email protected].