Christine Long, a Wright State student, has worked at the Personal Assistance Station for 5 years. Currently, she is a PA station manager.
"I am responsible for restocking the supplies, putting in work orders if something in the station needs to be fixed, taking care of injuries or emergencies that may happen at the station, assisting students if their wheelchair breaks down, training new employees and making schedule changes throughout the semester," Long said.
A typical day for Long includes a variety of tasks to ensure the rest of the shift goes smoothly.
"My typical day at the PA station is to come in about ten minutes early to make sure that the trash from the previous shift has been picked up, that we have a enough supplies out for the day, and check all the lifts to make sure they are still working properly," Long said. "I then make sure all my employees will be on time to their shifts and make changes when needed."
According to Long, there are many aspects of her job that she enjoys.
"I like being able to help the students with disabilities become independent," Long said. "The gratitude that I receive from the students that I help is remarkable. I like being able to assist any student with their needs and talk to them about their classes they are taking during the semester."
Along with the gratitude, there are also challenges.
"The thing I find most challenging is providing too much assistance for some students. I say this because every students disability is different. I may think that one of my students needs assistance with pulling down a shirt or help walking over to the changing bed, but they can do it themselves," Long said.
Long is currently majoring in Urban Affairs, and hopes to have a positive impact on the community.
"I want to be able to build a community that will bridge the gap between the baby boomers, the disabled community and middle age families to come together and do community activities and to help learn and build from everyone's walk of life. I also want to work in the ground transportation business, providing non-emergency transportation."
The PA station is located at 072 Student Union, established in 1970, and provides services to students with physical disabilities free of charge. This station includes three private bathrooms, staffed by two PAs at all times.
Other services provided by the PA station include:
- Restroom use
- Transferring in/out of mobility device
- Body positioning
- Assistance with coats/hats/gloves
- Clothing/shoe/glasses adjustments
- Assistance with adjusting bags
- Daytime mobility device charging
- Cleaning/wipe down of wheelchairs/scooters
- Re-inflation of tires with air pump
