University has lack of accessibility for handicapped students and faculty
Most people take for granted the ability to open a door. It is such a mundane task. We do it hundreds of times a week and never give it a second thought.
Cartoon by Abby Gross
Well, this was true of my life, until two weeks ago, when an accident forced me to use crutches to navigate campus. The door opening that I had always taken for granted now became a subject of dread, even anger, as I hobbled my way across campus every day. Krannert Memorial Library, Ruth Lilly Fitness Center and the doors of Schwitzer Student Center and Esch Hall facing Smith Mall all do not have automatic access buttons to make entry accessible for students who cannot
open the doors themselves.
Worse yet, the entrances to Good Hall are not only non-automatic, but also surrounded by stairs. This means anyone not able to mount the steps has to resort to using the elevator entrance at the rear of the building.
There is something wrong with making “accessible” entrances less accessible than other ways into a building.
Moreover, the issue of accessibility is all but ignored by the average student on campus because, quite frankly, it doesn’t cross your mind until you are the one out (quite literally last week) in the cold.
Now, the University of Indianapolis does offer handicap accessible entrances to every academic building. Ramps are available for those who can’t take the stairs, and some automatic doors are in place. However, sporadic offerings of these amenities are not consistent across campus.
It is true that the university complies with all legal requirements for accessibility on campus. However, legality does not always go hand-in-hand with convenience, and there are some major inconveniences at UIndy.
For instance, there is a handicap accessible ramp leading up to Esch Hall on the side of the building that faces Hanna Avenue. However, once one has reached the top of the ramp, he or she would discover that the door is locked from the inside, rendering the ramp useless to anyone heading into Esch.
Additionally, if you cannot open a door yourself, you are forced to wait for help to enter the library; no automatic door is available at all. Luckily, there is usually someone ready to lend a helping hand to students who are facing these inaccessibility issues. It’s just inexcusable that there is no better option for students than to wait for someone to assist them.
It is not just the infrastructure that has weaknesses; it is a policy of the police officers on campus not to have a woman alone in their vehicles. While it is easy to see that there may be a need for a rule like this one, imagine you are a woman alone on campus at night. Compound that with being a student who has trouble walking. Doesn’t it make sense for the campus police to assist those in need? It was my understanding that that was their job.
I realize that crutches are just temporary, and the inconveniences I have experienced over the last week are only short term for me. However, what about all of those students on campus who have long term needs for accessibility? For them, some of these shortcomings are downright appalling and will not disappear.
One student, who uses a wheelchair, broke his foot last year because the steps were not properly marked outside Streets Grill. Occurrences such as these are unacceptable and easily avoidable.
UIndy does some things extremely well when it comes to making education accessible to everyone. But if you can’t even get inside the building, your opportunity to use the resources is lost before it has even begun.
