In 1990, federal rules took effect that restricted seating in airline seats near exits to people in good physical condition who speak and read English and are otherwise able to help evacuate the plane in an emergency. The National Federation of the Blind argued that it was discriminatory to refuse to seat blind people near emergency exits and went to Congress. Among them was Paul McIntyre, City College student.

McIntyre suffers from a rare eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa that ultimately led to blindness when he was about 25 years old. He is now a political science major at City College with plans to transfer to UC Davis in the future.

“I went to Congress seven times for blindness issues,” he says. “One of the issues was the airlines’ discrimination. Unfortunately, we lost round on that battle.”

Because McIntyre wasn’t born blind, he used to be able to drive a car. When the “blindness really hit me,” he says, driving wasn’t possible anymore. He now uses public transportation and has a tandem that he rides with his teenage kid.

“He is the pilot, I am the stoker,” he says. “And we have a trailer on the tandem. My 4-year-old son sits in that one.”

But these kinds of adjustments took time to be discovered. The first couple of months after becoming blind were the hardest, he says.

“I was asking questions like: What am I gonna do for the rest of my life? Nobody had answers,” McIntyre says.

He did not know any other blind people. Still, he desperately wanted to get to meet them. One time, he followed a blind man on the bus. He went up to him to ask if he knew any other blind people, but the man’s response was less than friendly. McIntyre says it took him two-and-one-half years to find other blind people with a positive attitude.

“Then I finally met a guy, blind also, that I have been friends with for more than 17 years,” he says.

He has been a member of the National Federation of the Blind for a long time. Two years ago at City College, he joined the Sacramento City College Standing Committee, the purpose of which is effective and efficient governance.

“I really want more accessibility for blind students on campus,” he says. “Self-advocacy and finding positive role models is key. My motto this semester is seamless accessibility.”

McIntyre says dealing with his blindness has been a “growing process.”

“What it comes down to is that a blind person can do everything just as anybody else—except fly an airplane or drive a car,” he says.

McIntyre isn’t alone in his plight however, the Disability Resource Center has supported City College students like him since 1975. Last year alone 1,500 students with disabilities were helped, included among them was McIntyre.

“Although accommodations vary from individual to individual, there are typical accommodations for students with disabilities, such as academic support services, extended time for exams and many more,” says Dr. Gwyneth Tracy, coordinator of disabled students’ programs and services.

For more information on the Disability Resource Center, visit the Student Services Building, across from Rodda North. The phone number is (916) 558-2087. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.— 7 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.— 4:30 p.m.