Winter came upon Ames fast and with a vengeance this semester. No student likes dodging snow piles or slipping on ice, but disabled students have it harder than the average ISU student when it comes to getting around in inclement weather.

“The other day a [disabled] student was trying to make it to class. She didn’t get there, and she couldn’t make it home,” said Joyce Packwood, coordinator for Disability Resources.

Snow and ice were building up on the sidewalks, and the student was close to Packwood’s office; she decided to go there for help.

“We called Facilities [Planning and Management], and they shoveled her a path back to her home,” she said.

Disability Resources helps disabled ISU students all year, but during the winter season, its assistance becomes more pertinent.

“If [disabled students] send me their route to class, I’ll send them to Facilities,” Packwood said.

Facilities, Planning and Management will clear those paths first in the mornings to make it easier for disabled students to get to class.

David Miller, director of Facilities, Planning and Management, said what it comes down to is simply knowing what the students need from officials.

“It’s hard for us to find out where these students are and what they need from us,” Miller said.

Packwood, who uses a wheelchair, knows the troubles of trekking across campus. She said maneuvering in a wheelchair in winter conditions can get rather difficult.

“It is very difficult to use a wheelchair because there is no traction, and it is hard on your back when you go over bumps,” she said. “Snow that is more than an inch deep is difficult to use a wheelchair in. They just aren’t built for snow.”

All-weather tires and wider wheels help to operate in snowy situations, but not all wheelchairs are outfitted with these amenities.

Students also have the option of calling CyRide’s Dial-A-Ride for assistance in getting places.

“Disabled students can call and set up rides for Dial-A-Ride, even if it’s just on campus,” said Kris Woolley, transit operation assistant for CyRide.

Although the buses are much smaller than the regular CyRide buses, they can each hold one wheelchair.

The assistance is offered only to disabled students and disabled residents of Ames.

“The service is subsidized for disabled people by the Transit Board,” Woolley said. “Each ride would regularly cost $15.”

The cost is considerably lower for the actual patron.

ISU students pay 70 cents, and Ames residents pay $1.50 to have personal pick-up and drop-off from Dial-A-Ride.

Melissa Moffett, junior in speech communication, uses a wheelchair. She occasionally uses the Dial-A-Ride service to get around Ames.

She said it can be difficult trying to get around in harsh weather, especially on campus.

“It’s terrible out there right now,” she said. “Sometimes they need to plow the paths faster.”

Moffett sometimes has help from friends to make life easier.

“The other day when it was snowing so bad, a friend helped me get to the library,” she said.

Packwood said anyone can help these students get around easier.

“All they need sometimes is a little push,” she said.