By Daniel Furman
Issue date: 10/23/08

Almost a year after students of a Sociology and Disabilities class presented their findings on the substandard or nonexistent disability access at many of the most frequently used buildings on campus, much work still remains to be done.

Both the administration and advocates for the disabled agree that retrofitting these buildings for disabled access is constrained by a finite budget and must be done in order of priority.

But Christian Villenas, a sociology graduate student who taught the course last semester and uses crutches himself, feels the administration has not addressed how they plan to act in response to the findings of his students’ research.

One of the issues raised by Villenas’s students was that the doorframes of the graduate study rooms in the library were too narrow to allow for wheelchair access.

Richard Sanders, dean of Student Disability Services and Peggy Hayeslip, director for ADA Compliance & Disability Services at Homewood, said that wheelchair-accessible study rooms have since been installed in the library.

“At this point I’m more concerned [about] lack of response to major issues students found, like the Center for Social Concern,” Villenas said. “Being up a narrow flight of stairs, [the Center for Social Concern] has always been a barrier for students with physical disabilities. Things are moving forward but I don’t want progress to end just because they have added a couple of accessible rooms in the library.”

Other projects completed in reaction to the findings have included a new elevator for Maryland Hall and a ramp for Dunning Hall. Ongoing renovations of Shiver Hall aim to allow for rear wheelchair access, as well as easier access to the auditorium and stage.

There is now an unfunded proposal to study how to allow for wheelchair access to the front of Shriver Hall.

According to Sanders, there are 152 Hopkins students registered as having disabilities of some kind, the most common of which are learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder, which comprise about 80 percent of the total.

While it might not occur to most students, faculty and staff to consider how the spaces around Homewood affect someone with a physical disability, it is not an issue that can be ignored.

“Anyone at any point can become disabled, permanently or temporarily. The University should be cognizant of that and make accommodations for them,” Villenas said.

According to Hayeslip, some of the recommendations from last year’s class had been incorporated into the five-year Homewood infrastructure plan.

There are about 20 projects of various kinds undertaken each year aimed at increasing access to the facilities and services on Homewood.

Recently completed non-access related projects include the library’s installation of a program that allows students with weak vision to enlarge the text of a book or newspaper.

Budgeting for projects to improve disability access to buildings comes out of the facilities budget under the five-year infrastructure plan.

Access projects are prioritized based on three criteria: better egress - getting people to and into the building - improving the ability to use common facilities like bathrooms and undertaking projects in more commonly used rooms and buildings.

Levering Hall, which was singled out for attention by Villenas’s students, has yet to be targeted for any construction to improve access for those with physical disabilities.

This troubles Villenas, especially because the Center for Social Concern is located there.

“The fact that [the] Center for Social Concern is not accessible does not send a good message to disabled students who might want to come to Hopkins,” Villenas said.

Sanders said the administration was aware of these concerns and that the logistics of a retrofit are currently being studied.

“We are looking at how to create better access to elevators in Levering, but it involves being able to secure the cafeteria area during off hours,” Sanders said.

Another recommendation of the class, which has yet to be implemented, is the creation of a student advisory board for disability services. Sanders stated that he hoped to oversee the creation of such a body by the end of the semester.

“I want to create a committee with students with disabilities and other students to meet with me and let them bounce ideas off me and make their ideas known to me,” Sanders said.

Villenas, who has been on campus for five years, has seen some improvement in disability access at Homewood, but still feels that it is still too inaccessible for an urban campus, which he said tends to have better accessibility for those with disabilities.

“The University needs to consider people with disabilities when they are planning. When they get into the mindset of being more inclusive to people with physical disabilities, then we will start to head in the right direction,” Villenas said.

Recent constructions on campus, including the Charles Commons and Hodson Hall, have been outfitted to be disability accessible.

According to Villenas, the University must understand the way that society influences the disability experience and that when students with disabilities are not considered, a direct result is an inaccessible campus.

Students will have the opportunity to get involved in this movement in the spring when Villenas will offer a sequel to his Sociology of Disability class. Students will research to what degree the University has acted on the recommendations from last year’s class.