A question of accessibility
Students with disabilities finding campus tough to get around; cite poor facilities
Brian Reisinger
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Campus News
There are positives, students said, mainly in the SSD office, which offers a variety of services, from organizing isolated rooms or extended test periods for students with learning disabilities to assistance for students who can't communicate in more conventional manners.
Hurley said there's always room for improvement and that her office could use more resources.
"These are very smart, very capable people," she said. "We have to make sure that once they are here, they have access."
SSD's budget is on a needs-driven basis, said Vice Chancellor of Business Affairs Andrew Soll.
In the 2004-2005 fiscal year, SSD's expenditures reached $177,350, according to university records. That's $17,004 more than the previous year. While the increase is not due to any one area, Soll said, sign language interpreters generally constitute the largest portion of SSD's budget.
In terms of campus facilities, Steve Horner, director of Facilities Planning, said his office always considers accessibility as it is completing various renovations and maintenance projects, but that his office must prioritize because of financial and architectural limitations.
"We are fair and improving quickly," Horner said in rating Eau Claire's accessibility level. "There are some areas that need improvement."
Part of the problem, he said, is the constantly evolving codes. Some bathrooms, for example, are legally up to code but were built under old standards.
The university is constantly striving to ensure compliance with the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act, Horner said, but there's also a difference between being up to code and actually meeting student needs.
Under a "universal design" approach, he said, designers consider the utility of facilities for all students in addition to those with disabilities, going beyond the bare minimum required by law.
But cost is always a major issue.
Costs for changing a door knob to a lever, removing a center post in doorway or installing an automatic door opener range from $100 to a few thousand dollars for each project.
Money for facilities improvement, Soll said, comes from the state. Any major changes improving accessibility, he said, are generally part of a larger project because the state doesn't provide a separate cache of money solely for accessibility issues.
The university, he said, has to do what it can while remaining practical. Examples of priorities the university has made in the past, he said, include the installation of orange flashing strobes on fire alarms to alert hearing-impaired students and designated rescue areas for students with mobility issues to go to in the event of a fire.
"We do try to listen to students," Soll said. "In some cases we do what we can, and in others we look for alternatives."
Hurley said there's always room for improvement and that her office could use more resources.
"These are very smart, very capable people," she said. "We have to make sure that once they are here, they have access."
SSD's budget is on a needs-driven basis, said Vice Chancellor of Business Affairs Andrew Soll.
In the 2004-2005 fiscal year, SSD's expenditures reached $177,350, according to university records. That's $17,004 more than the previous year. While the increase is not due to any one area, Soll said, sign language interpreters generally constitute the largest portion of SSD's budget.
In terms of campus facilities, Steve Horner, director of Facilities Planning, said his office always considers accessibility as it is completing various renovations and maintenance projects, but that his office must prioritize because of financial and architectural limitations.
"We are fair and improving quickly," Horner said in rating Eau Claire's accessibility level. "There are some areas that need improvement."
Part of the problem, he said, is the constantly evolving codes. Some bathrooms, for example, are legally up to code but were built under old standards.
The university is constantly striving to ensure compliance with the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act, Horner said, but there's also a difference between being up to code and actually meeting student needs.
Under a "universal design" approach, he said, designers consider the utility of facilities for all students in addition to those with disabilities, going beyond the bare minimum required by law.
But cost is always a major issue.
Costs for changing a door knob to a lever, removing a center post in doorway or installing an automatic door opener range from $100 to a few thousand dollars for each project.
Money for facilities improvement, Soll said, comes from the state. Any major changes improving accessibility, he said, are generally part of a larger project because the state doesn't provide a separate cache of money solely for accessibility issues.
The university, he said, has to do what it can while remaining practical. Examples of priorities the university has made in the past, he said, include the installation of orange flashing strobes on fire alarms to alert hearing-impaired students and designated rescue areas for students with mobility issues to go to in the event of a fire.
"We do try to listen to students," Soll said. "In some cases we do what we can, and in others we look for alternatives."
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