Petition aims to increase accessible parking spaces

By Jesse West

A petition designed to increase the number of accessible parking spaces on campus remains in the works, according to those determined to see it pass.

“We are still in the process of gathering more names and stories from those students, faculty, staff and visitors who are still experiencing challenges when it comes to having enough accessible parking spaces,” said Michael Ritter, the coordinator of disability services. “We didn’t feel like we had enough stories or enough numbers on our petitions to go forward yet.”

Ritter has been the driving force behind this petition, which was one of two petitions conceived last semester by a concerned student. Since then, the petition has received close to 175 signatures and many personal stories from students, faculty and others who have had to compete with each other for a parking space.

“I was pleasantly overwhelmed with e-mails from people talking about, ‘I couldn’t get to class on time because there wasn’t a place to park’ and ‘I had to come two hours early to campus to compete,’” Ritter said. “It’s been an eye opener for me because people have raised some issues that I wasn’t aware of.”

One such individual is Michelle Ritter, a web developer for the Instructional Media Center. Ritter has been in a wheelchair since 1994 and currently enjoys having a reserved spot. As a former student, however, she knows firsthand just how challenging the parking situation can be for students.

“It was a constant struggle to find a parking spot,” Ritter said. “I totally understand how the students feel. They have enough daily frustrations and concerns with just getting to class and all those normal college anxieties.”

Despite the current success with the petition, Mr. Ritter isn’t willing to get too comfortable just yet. There are still other issues that need to be dealt with, such as facing today’s financial realities.

“It may be something we have to shelve for the moment until the economy recovers because we are under some really tight scrutiny right now as to how we spend money on campus,” Ritter said. “The timing of this thing is critical; we may sit on it for a while until the economy gets rolling again or we may go ahead and present it now.”

Nevertheless, Ritter remains optimistic that, at the very least, he will do everything in his power to make sure the voices and stories of those dealing with this issue are heard. Furthermore, he is quick to note that the situation is about a lot more than just parking.

“If I’m a student that has mobility impairment and my first experience coming to Missouri Western is that I can’t find a place to park, then my first experience is that this isn’t necessarily a welcoming environment,” Ritter said. “If they can’t access the building that their class is in, we’re talking about problems with tardiness and attendance that could potentially impact their financial aid. It’s not just a parking issue; it’s a much larger issue we’re trying to resolve.”

An issue that Ellen Kisker, the director of the non-traditional student services center, believes should be a concern for everyone regardless of whether or not they or someone they know suffers from disability problems.?

“I think that all of us need to consider disability issues because it could be you or me at anytime in that position,” Kisker said. “It’s morally and ethically the right thing to do.”