The Griffon News

Western may not be doing enough for disabled students

Every year disabled students and faculty join the Western community. As they commute through the campus, they notice the beautiful trees, the well manicured landscaping and the neat buildings, but they also inevitably notice that the campus is lacking in some much needed resorces.

Parking spaces, bench placement and the steep incline of sidewalks are things that some people take for granted. However, for the disabled these issues cross their minds every day.

Unfortunately, Disability Services doesn’t have the money to fix the needs of these disabled people.

If someone were to drive around campus and count the number of accessible parking spaces, they would find that there are 18 outside of Popplewell Hall, five in the Blum Union parking lot, five in front of Looney Complex, four next to the library and approximately one for each residence hall.

With the growing amount of faculty members that need these in-demand parking spaces, it is becoming increasingly harder for disabled students to utilize or even find these accessible parking spaces.

Ed Harris, senior and disabled person, has had to fight to find adequate accessible parking.

“We’re getting more faculty with disabilities,” Harris said. “When I come in for an 8 or 9 a.m. class, there’s no parking. Parking too far away is going to give someone a heart attack.”

Michael Ritter, disability services coordinator, agrees that accessible parking is a problem and that Western barely meets the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards for the number of accessible parking spaces.

“In some cases we don’t meet the standards at all,” Ritter said.

For example, even though Eder Hall has accessible parking reserved for disabled people, none of the spaces are wheelchair or scooter accessible, Ritter said. The incline of the parking spaces makes it unsafe for someone to enter and exit his or her vehicle.

“Often times for visiting students, this is their first impression of our campus,” Ritter said.

One goal Disability Services has is to put a bench between each building for people with disabilities or medical conditions. Disability Services is also planning to buy three new benches per fiscal year, if the budget allows. Harris, who uses the benches quite frequently, is eagerly awaiting the placement of more.

“Some of those long stretches need a couple more benches,” Harris said. “I walk from building to building, and I need to sit down sometimes. There have been times where I thought I couldn’t make it to the bench or even inside. When you’re disabled, walking these long sidewalks is a killer.”

The sidewalk incline is also difficult for most students who aren’t handicapped, but for those who are, it is torturous.

During the icy winter months especially, it is nearly impossible to take a wheelchair up the steep inclines. Although some of the sidewalks may never be fully reconstructed, Ritter has hopes that eventually there will be one accessible route between all buildings and points of interest on campus.

“The ADA does not mandate that every door and every sidewalk be made accessible,” Ritter said. “But what it does call for is that every attempt be made to provide at least one safe and accessible pathway to all buildings and programs on our campus.”

Sidewalk incline as well as the other problems on Western’s campus cost money, and money is something that Disability Services doesn’t have.

“People with disabilities always face budgeting issues primarily because they are an unseen and underserved minority group,” Ritter said. “The question always arises, ‘Why would we want to spend so much money when it will only benefit a small number of people?’ My answer is always, ‘Because it is the right thing to do’.”

Many people see the frustration Ritter goes through.

“Ritter does a really good job with what he can,” Natalie Bailey, president of SGA, said. “But unfortunately, there aren’t enough resources available, and they aren’t being used in the right way.”

Harris agrees that Disability Services needs a lot of work and feels the frustration Ritter has for the lack of implementation.

“We’re supposed to be a handicapped accessible university,” Harris said. “How hard is it to promote this if we don’t have it? We are lacking a ton of stuff for disabilities. If they advertise that we are that kind of handicapped accessible university, we should enforce it.”