Dealing with disability access on a college campus

It's nice to see more and more college newspapers covering this issue. Here's a story from The DePauw at DePauw University in Indiana:

Grace Kestler is like any other DePauw freshman. She lives in Longden Hall with a roommate, goes to class, is a Media Fellow and Bonner Scholar, and is interested in participating in rush and recruitment. She is a typical DePauw student, with one exception: Grace has been in a wheelchair since seventh grade.

Kestler was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy when she was 2. Muscular dystrophy is a degenerative disease, but Kestler says that the progress of her disease has plateaued.

"It's not getting worse, but it's not necessary getting any better," Kestler said.Instead of swipe cards or traditional keys, Kestler and her roommate have proximity cards to let them into the building, their room and the bathroom.

Kestler is one of 100 DePauw students who have identified themselves with the University as being disabled. Their disabilities, according to Coordinator of Student Disability Services DiAnna Washington, range in severity and type.

"There's more than just physical disabilities," Washington said.

Washington works with each student who requires Americans with Disabilities Act services to ensure that they achieve their full potential at DePauw. Students seek and acquire the accommodations they need to be successful through Washington. Students need documentation about their needs to receive services, Washington explained.

"There has to be some sort of testing," Washington said. "The doctor indicates the accommodations."

Because students' disabilities take many forms, individual accommodations are varied. Kestler's include proximity cards, but other students may require drastically different things.

Facilities Management is adding the proximity card system to Hogate Hall, the Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media and the Hartman House so those buildings can be more accessible in the future. Director of Facilities Management Ted Fares explained that all of the renovations are part of an ongoing process.

"It's really different to do it all at one time," Fares said.

The updates so far, Fares said, have cost an estimated $155,000.

For a student with a disability, simple things like branches on the sidewalk can prove to be major obstacles. The sidewalks themselves can become a daily obstacle to a student with a disability.

Special red ramps have been installed on the sidewalks to assist both those confined to wheelchairs and those who may be visually impaired. Rob Harper, assistant director of facilities management, explained that a red pad sounds different when a visually disabled person strikes it with a cane.

The sidewalks and curbs have also been renovated to be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

"Most of [the sidewalks] have sunk and are damaged or have cracked or separated," Harper said.

Sidewalks are to be wide enough to allow a wheelchair and a person to pass. The sidewalk renovation, begun this summer, should be over by the end of next week.

Although no Greek house is currently handicap accessible on all floors, the issue is being addressed among house corporation presidents. Bruce Gastineau, president of Delta Upsilon fraternity's house corporation said that although handicapped-accessible renovations would be a long process, it should be looked into.

"I think it could be done, but wouldn't be an immediate fix," Gastineau said.

Residence Life and Housing has also made changes to become more accessible. Each dorm must be brought up to the current building code with every renovation. During construction on Longden in 2000, ramps were installed, as well as a private bathroom on the first floor, which Kestler now uses.

Julia Arnold, director of residence life and housing, also pointed out that the first floor of each building in Rector Village is accessible.

In the past Residence Life and Housing has provided services to blind students, including one who used the services of a guide dog. Arnold explained that the student was allowed to live in campus housing with the animal and that residence life was careful about where the student was placed.

"We made sure that no one was highly allergic to dogs," Arnold said.

Many departments on campus provide services to current DePauw students with
disabilities. Public Safety officers offered themselves and their cruisers to allow all students transport around campus during inclement weather or if a student feels unsafe. Although Safe Ride is not handicap accessible, Public Safety Director Angie Nally said every effort is made to ensure students' safety.

Nally also said that in the event of a natural disaster or fire, Public Safety will work with each student requiring assistance in order to ensure that the student makes it to a safe place.

"We rely on roommates and friends," Nally said.

Services are not limited to current DePauw students. Vice President of Admission Stefanie Niles explained that the admissions office tries to meet the needs of prospective students and their families, although the interested student must share that they have a disability. The office of admission currently employs one student tour guide who can sign American Sign Language if a prospective student had a hearing disability.

DePauw is similar to other universities with the services that it offers to disabled students. Adriana Duffy-Horling, a graduate of Stanford University and now a professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law, was paralyzed after a gymnastics injury in 1989 just before her sophomore year at Stanford.

Duffy-Horling experienced collegiate life both with the ability to walk and without. Duffy-Horling explained that accessibility was something that she thought of before her injury.

"It takes some getting used to," Duffy-Horling said.

During her collegiate experience, Duffy-Horling realized that some people treated her differently, but she advised people to act no different toward students with disabilities than other students.

"Act pretty much like they're anybody. Remember, it's just another adult in college. Treat the person with the assumption that they are a college student too," she said.