According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title III prohibits places of business and public areas from discriminating against people with disabilities. Because of this law, accessible routes are mandatory in and outside any building for individuals with a physical disability. While the university technically meets the ADA accessibility requirements, there are many places on campus that require more effort than necessary. Whether with temporary or permanent disabilities, students should be able to get where they need to go without having to exhaust or stress themselves to get place to place.

For example, in the Hardin Administration building, there are two elevators available; the issue with these is they are on opposite sides of the building, making it inconvenient for students and others who may need them. Professor Elizabeth Ysasi, immigration specialist, noticed when she was pregnant the disparity of the distance
between the accessible entrance and that of the elevators; as it was difficult for her to have to walk long distances or use stairs. Ysasi’s office is located on the second floor of Hardin South so she had no choice.

Another problem in Hardin is the entrances that have stairs leading to the main hallway on the first floor. Individuals who may be in a wheelchair or other devices that help them have to travel around to building to the handicap accessible entrance. This could be a major problem for people with physical disabilities.

For students who live on campus and also have issues with getting around, getting in and out of the dorms is difficult to do when assistance is not available. For the Sundance apartments, students can press the handicap touch pad and gain access. For the other living areas, students have to open heavy doors just to get in and out. As someone who was in a wheelchair for most of the fall 2018 semester, this was one of my biggest problems. While the dorms are not required to have handicap touch pads, updating the doorways would allow easier access for those who are unable to easily open the doors.

If the university updated their buildings, perhaps students can see how much the university cares.