Director left off commission

By Penny Rynberk

The non-reappointment of the director of Services for Students with Disabilities to a federal disabilities commission is fueling turmoil with faculty and students.

Linda Sorge was not reappointed as a member of the 1991-92 Presidential Commission on Persons with Disabilities.

In a recent letter to NIU President John La Tourette, Sorge, who is blind, said a disabled student on the commission questioned Gary Gresholdt, vice president for Student Affairs and the commission’s chairman, about her removal. Gresholdt told the student that the office was “over-represented.”

The letter also said current commission membership information indicates that there are “13 able-bodied and 3 disabled faculty-staff members on the commission … a deplorably unbalanced ratio.”

“There are more than three or four members on the commission with disabilities,” Gresholdt said. “Our bylaws define what the membership of our commission should include.”

“I don’t think (the commission) should be solely disabled,” said George Abbott, student commission representative, “but the more disabled input the better. Steps should be taken to make sure that disabilities are represented fairly.”

Gresholdt said the number of disabled representatives is adequate as the commission also seeks information from non-commission members to identify with disabled issues and concerns.

La Tourette made appointments after he received a list from Gresholdt of individuals interested in serving on the commission, he said.

The minutes from the Aug. 8 commission meeting include Sorge’s interest in her reappointment. Gresholdt said, “Sorge’s name was included on the list of interested individuals to the president.”

“I cannot comprehend why President La Tourette would remove one of the directors from our department,” Sorge said. “Nobody on this campus has better knowledge (of the needs of the disabled) than we do.”

Services for Students with Disabilities offers services to physically disabled, mobility impaired, learning disabled, visually impaired and totally blind faculty, students and staff, Sorge said. It is one of only two offices providing daily services to the disabled.

Gresholdt said La Tourette asked this year’s commission to look at the services provided to the disabled and make recommendations to him.

“If the commission is going to be restructuring our office, it only makes sense to have as many commission members from our office as possible,” Sorge said.

Sue Reinhardt, the other director of Services for Students with Disabilities, recently resigned from the commission in protest, Sorge said. Bob Jordan, a student commission representative, will not attend commission meetings “until the situation is straightened out,” she said.

“I think Sue’s resignation is a point well taken,” Abbott said. “If she feels that strongly about Linn’s reappointment, I’m behind her all the way.”

The commission now holds an empty seat for Services for Students with Disabilities.

“The commission may ask me to come back,” Sorge said. “This is only because the bylaws require one member from our office to reside.”

Sorge also is concerned about adequate disabled representation on the commission. “The students want as much good representation as they can get,” she said.

“If they tried to find disabled people to serve on the commission, that would be acceptable. That is not the fact here,” Sorge said. “There are willing people that were excluded.”

Abbott said he feels Sorge was the strongest voice for the disabled on the commission. “I hope that this whole matter can be straightened out and we can have Linn on the commission again,” he said.

According to La Tourette’s office, the commission seat for Services for Students with Disabilities has been offered to Sorge, but they are still waiting for the reply.