As Elizabethtown College embarks on their new campaign to reach out to prospective students, the college as a whole faces internal review. If the college is to expect a new population of students soon, it will, like other colleges, have to review its services and adapt to the next generation of scholars. One of the areas of concern is accessibility of the campus to students with mental and physical disabilities. Recently, the Etownian received a letter from a concerned student regarding problems with accessibility on campus.
Accessibility has become an important aspect of large institutions in the United States following the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA created a system of laws that would prevent schools, employers, and public spaces from discriminating against people with disabilities. Under Title III – Public Accommodations – public spaces are required to have a minimum number of accommodations for people with mobility, sight and hearing impairments. Evidence of the ADA’s influence is everywhere; handicap accessible bathrooms and parking spaces, crosswalk signs with auditory cues and ramps are a few examples.
The goal for this act was to create more opportunity for people with disabilities. In 2009, an amendment to the act expanded on the definition of disability to include more than just physical disability. Learning disabilities and mental illnesses are now included in the anti-discrimination act.
Many of the major colleges in the area, such as Lebanon Valley College and Franklin and Marshall, have a disability or accommodations center, in accordance with ADA regulation. LVC has a coordinator and an online registry where students with disabilities can request accommodation in advance, much like Etown. Franklin and Marshall has accommodations for physical disability, but does not offer special programming for students with learning disabilities, an area that Etown excels at offering support in through the Learning Zone.
In terms of Etown’s accessibility, there is as much praise as there is criticism. While the Learning Zone offers a lot of support for students with mental illness and learning disabilities, there are several spaces on campus that are inaccessible to people with physical disabilities. Wenger, for instance, has presented a lot of problems to students with mobility problems because of the lack of elevators, preventing them from reaching many professors’ offices. Accessible housing options are severely limited as well.
The College is expecting to bring in a new wave of students. Among the changes going on in the college, should accessibility be among the restorations made in the coming years? The decision will ultimately be up to administration and the concerns of the students.
Expert Corner written by: Lynne Davies, Director of Disability Services and the Learning Zone
Lynne Davies is no stranger to extensive review of disability services on a college campus. Recently, she has even been the point of contact for one college’s new director of accessibility services.
“LBC just hired a new disability services director and I’ve been helping walk her through the process of understanding the program,” Davies said.
Over the years, Davies’ view of disability has changed. She is constantly seeking new information and understanding of what it means to live with a disability.
“I don’t think people realize how much something like attention problems, reading disabilities and mental illness can affect a person’s life at college,” Davies said.
Thus came the idea for the Learning Zone, Etown’s center for tutoring and educational assistance. Davies was very excited about the advances in the program over the past few years.
“We’ve recently worked on including new assistive technology to combat optic, auditory and reading difficulties. For example, we’ve helped students get screen readers for their computer,” Davies said.
Davies has also considered the concerns brought to her about areas on campus that are inaccessible to people with physical disabilities. In this regard, Davies recognized that there is definitely room for improvement.
“Right now, the large buildings on campus – the BSC, Masters Center and Nicarry – are very accessible. However, Wenger has presented a continuous problem. At the moment, it would be very expensive to build an elevator and still there would be problems with space in the hallways,” Davies said.
The issue with accessible housing was also acknowledged. Right now, Hackman is the best option for students with mobility problems; however, the apartments are only available to juniors and seniors. Davies recognized the importance of increasing housing options for underclassmen.
“A student’s residential experience is crucial to their college experience – it’s not just the academics that count; students need to be able to have a place they can call home.”
There are improvements on the horizon; the scheduled renovations to Schlosser and Royer will create updated, more accessible housing on campus. In addition, the new student center currently under construction will meet ADA regulations and be accessible to all students.
