[nagdu] Access Limited for Stanford's Handicapped Students

[Ginger Kutsch]

    November 06, 2009 05:23 PM ET | Jeff Greer | Handicapped
students at Stanford University aren't exactly happy-and for good
reason.
 
Disabled students at Stanford University don't have easy access
to every classroom and building on campus, the Stanford Daily
reports. Dorm access and double doors on campus have caused
particular difficulty for some.
 
"Only one door can be opened from the outside sometimes, and
sometimes it is the left door rather than the right door," Nicole
Torcolini, a sophomore who is blind, tells the Daily. "This is
problematic for two main reasons: First, it encourages . . . not
following the usual pattern of traffic of traveling on the right,
causing more confusion. Second, doors opening on the left do not
work well for my guide dog."
 
According to the Daily, it's not just moving around buildings and
classrooms that's difficult. The campus isn't easily navigable,
either.
 
"Sometimes the only way to get somewhere requires walking in or
across a bike lane, which can be rather dangerous, particularly
for my guide dog," Torcolini tells the Daily. "Furthermore, I
have found that most bikers do not take precautions to watch for
pedestrians."
 
Resident Fellow Clyde Moneyhun says it's easy to understand
Torcolini's frustration.
 
"The trouble is that it takes only one thoughtless act-one bike
left in front of the stairs, one big, empty box left in a
hallway, one couch left in the walkway in the lounge-to create
accessibility problems," Moneyhun says. "What we need is more
diligence on the part of all the residents in making sure that
everybody who lives here has equal access to all parts of the
building."
 
The university created a group to help disabled students deal
with issues like these on campus: the Disabilities and Accessible
Education Committee. The panel is meant to provide a way for
disabled students to voice their concerns.
 
"We are trying to make disability resources more cohesive for
students so that campus is easier to access," says committee
Cochair Julia Feinberg, who has spinal muscular atrophy. "We are
also trying for more contact with housing and admission."
 
Source: 
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2009/11/06/access-limited
-for-stanfords-handicapped-students.html
 
Ginger Bennett Kutsch
Morristown, NJ