Show Leslie Hutchings I Coed To Remember senior year Twenty twenty year one French major Leslie K Hutchings Hutchins SL i a seventh in her school I class of c currently maintains main mai maintains a point grade JO ade-JO v nt-v- crage in the rigorous Utah i I Honors Program studies 4 40 hours a week and attends the University on several academic scholarships IN HER TIER precious leisure e time tinie she swims bowls sees sees numerous movies cooks and andirons andirons andirons irons for her mother trains i and rides horses and plays mother hen to 40 chickens at her Bountiful Utah home Leslie's Honors thesis tobe to tobe tobe be submitted and approved before she graduates in June will be an ambitious analysis of Andre Gides Gide's La Symphonic his classic novel 1 about a blind girl Shell She'll have some valuable insights to contribute contribute contribute con con- tribute to that project Leslie is blind i DETERIORATION of the I retina an inoperable condition I i diagnosed at birth caused Leslie progressive difficulty r in public schools where as ast t early as fourth grade she had to use large print books I At the end of the sixth gradet grade t she entered the Ogden Utah t State School for the Blind For four years jears she learned I Bra Braille and other skills she shel l would need as she prepared for the inevitable total blindness visiting her home on weekends only She ultimately ultimately ultimately ulti ulti- re-joined re her friends as a high school junior junior- t Leslie is now completely 1 What she has has- r blin blind sight r she can still perceive light I and shadow is considerable f F immeasurable her energy be immeasurable immeasurable- appears to immeasurably great and she crams more extracurricular I activities into the hectic life i of a student than do many manyI I sighted persons She bowls i 40 70 range by simply standing standing stand stand- t ing at the foul line and releasing releasing re re- r leasing the ball cooks when she has the time she distinguishes distinguishes distinguishes dis dis- I spices by their smells tea teaches hes a Sunday school class of 18 i year 11 t olds and attends movies with her girl friend with f whom she recently bought acar a aI I carf car An animal lover Leslie spends f hour each week riding Sugar a thoroughbred 1 cross crass in a pasture near her herI I house mouse She has also trained a a fo year old German Shepherd Shepherd Shep Shep- herd Baron to help her negotiate negotiate negotiate ne- ne the neighborhood surrounding her home Baron and his charge often walk to a friends friend's home in Centerville Centerville Centerville Cen- Cen terville a distance of some some someI I I five miles t HES NOT half so well trained as a guide cog out he does keep me on the sidewalks and usually tells me when its it's safe to cross streets says Leslie with I I characteristic modesty Some SomeI I things he just does intuitively like walking around obstacles Before Baron came along alongI I Leslie encountered numerous I treacherous obstacles W h he hen e n she was a high s school hool sophomore sophomore sophomore more for instance she received received received re re- a concussion from run- run literally into a telephone pole Although Mrs Hutchings I 1 Ihas has had moments of panic she has always encouraged Leslie to explore on her own and to be as sufficient self-sufficient as possible You cant can't confine them she philosophizes LESLIE usually lakes takes 18 16 credit hours a full load each quarter and does most of her homework from tapes records and Braille Although her mother and friends read to her frequently she prefers prefers pre pre- fers fels to study with Braille books but they are difficult to buy especially in French She takes class notes with witha a slate and stylus and writes papers with a six-key six Braille writer similar to a typewriter typewriter typewriter type type- writer Although studying is usually more time-consuming time for a blind person Mrs Hutchings Hutchings Hutchings Hutch- Hutch ings reports that learning is often easier because their memories are more highly developed Leslie explains my memory is no better than anybody else's I just use it H better beUer THE Utah coeds coed's five brothers broth broth- ers and sisters are blind to her blindness in fact she usually has to bribe them to read to her She herself dismisses her handicap unless as when grocery shopping she is forced to ask for assistance And because she doesn't appear to be blind people often reject reject reject re re- re- re her plea for aid I really have to overcome shyness to ask for help but I just grit my teeth and do it she says Leslie recalls with amusement the day in high school when she walked into the mens men's rest room but claims she's had less memorable experiences than most of her blind friends One of them fell down a amaI maI manhole we we always find these things funny UI unless esS we get hurt she says THE THING TIlING I get the biggest kick out of personally personally personally per per- is the different ways people approach you when youre you're blind she says One boy timidly asked my girlfriend girlfriend girl girlfriend friend if it was okay to talk to me Mrs Hutchings believes her daughter is more normal and happy than she would be had she been blind from birth and Leslie agrees You make a better emotional adjustment adjustment adjustment ad ad- if you OU go blindly slowly but youre you're physically better able to cope with it if youre you're blind from birth FOLLOWING t i ion o n from the University Leslie will take yet another step toward toward toward to to- ward physical independence when she re-enters re the school for the blind for mobility training training train train- ing in the use of either a guide dog or a cane Then if it possible she would like to do some more traveling traveling travel travel- ing last summer she spent two months in Belgium and after afier high school graduation she vacationed in Hawaii and eventually teach high school French I originally wanted to be an interpreter because it sounded glamorous she says but Ive I've become more realistic Living in a small appeals to her so she may move from her Bountiful home Moving would require a certain amount of reorientation reorientation reorientation tation and readjustment she admits but it probably wouldn't be too difficult |