University of Oklahoma students have partnered with the State Department of Veterans Affairs to design homes for veterans in Ardmore, Claremore, and Sulphur. The project, which involved multiple visits to the facilities, allowed students to engage directly with veterans and gain insight into their lives and needs.
Understanding Veterans’ Needs
The students, who worked with the State Department of Veterans Affairs over the past year, designed three homes as part of the initiative. According to Amber Wiley, director for the Institute for Quality Communities, the experience had a profound impact on the students. “The students, I can say, they were overwhelmed by the information. But also, I think, really have a greater appreciation of caring for our veterans and providing relaxing places for them,” Wiley said.
OU professor and director of PLAD, John Harris, also shared his thoughts on the project. “We went down twice with a smaller group at first, then we took the whole class down there. We spoke to the fine people there, the veterans, understanding what life is like at the facility,” Harris said.
Original reporting: Oklahoma City News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
