Most students might take for granted their ability to navigate through the halls of academia with ease, but Gilbert Yanez is not one of those students.

It has taken Yanez, a 55-year-old senior in ethnic studies at Sacramento State, plenty of practice to be able to steer the campus grounds with his cane in one hand and class materials in the other.

Yanez, who lost his sight to glaucoma nine years ago, said his greatest struggle as a visually impaired student on campus has been traveling from point A to point B.

To navigate to and from class, he follows the yellow strips of pavement on campus designed for blind students.

Yanez, who transferred from Sacramento City College to Sac State three years ago, said his first day on campus was probably the toughest.

“It actually took me the entire semester to get acclimated to the campus,” Yanez said.

He believes his disability has been a major influence in his choosing ethnic studies as his major because he wants to highlight the achievements of minorities and disabled people in America.

Returning to school after 30 years is tough enough without being visually impaired. Yanez said many people have suggested he have a seeing-eye dog. He has even been invited to attend a program to receive one, but he feels he can get along better without. Yanez says he enjoys his independence.

“I’m afraid it would be more of a burden on the dog,” Yanez said jokingly.Another great difficulty Yanez, an aspiring Sac State instructor, is finding instructors and peers who are sensitive to his needs.

“Not to say that disabled people are owed anything, but society has to create a double playing field for disabled people, and sometimes that’s a hard thing to do,” Yanez said.

Although the Disability Resource Center on campus provides many disabled students with services such as volunteer note takers and readers, Yanez said he prefers to find his own help. He has even become friends with some classmates who were willing to take notes for him.

Yanez said he would like to see improvement in wheelchair accessibility in some of the facilities on campus such as Shasta Hall and the University Union.

“I mean being disabled is an issue within itself and, since you can’t change it, you have to make the best of it,” Yanez said. “You have to make your own world.”