Handicapped Accessible? Some Facilities Hinder Mobility of Disabled

Author: Lindsey Whitton

It is 1 p.m., and senior Katie Samson has a class in a half an hour. She hasn't eaten any lunch, and she knows that she won't be able to make it through the afternoon without sustenance. She takes a minute to consider how she can grab some food and still make it to class on time.
She will never make it to Freeman — it is just too far away. She can't reach the food in Ross and there might not be anyone to help her in Proctor at this time. The Grille seems like the best option, but she can't open the heavy doors inside the building. She decides to try Proctor after all, and luckily finds a friend there to help her. She isn't able to find time for a bathroom stop, however, because the handicapped accessible bathroom is downstairs and the only elevator in the building, meant for transporting food, is difficult to access. She doesn't have time to go outside and around to a basement door.
Wheelchair-bound Samson has a unique understanding of the Middlebury College campus. When she plans her day, she considers her route, an intricate series of ramps, curb breaks, remote controlled doors and elevators. She tries to travel in crowded areas so that when she inevitably encounters obstacles she can solicit assistance. She tries not to limit what she does, but sometimes her activities are forcibly limited by College facilities.
The Middlebury campus is in compliance with disability laws, but it is far from universally accessibility. Students with mobility impairments are unable to enter the Dean of Students office, most residence halls and the food in brand new Ross Dining Hall. These students' undergraduate life is dictated in part by their inability to access facilities supposedly open to all members of the College community.
"People don't realize how limited Middlebury is," said Kristie Gonzalez '02, a childhood friend of Samson's and president of the Senior Class Gift Committee, which sponsored a campaign to create an Americans with Disabilities Act fund at the College last year. "We always go above and beyond in everything else. I would love to see the campus adopt a policy of universal accessibility."
Next week the entire community will get a chance to experience the challenges of navigating the campus in a wheelchair. Students in the biology class Neural Disorders: Individuals, Families and Society have declared Nov. 18 to 22 "Accessibility Awareness Week," and have planned a series of activities and events to increase understanding of College accessibility. The keystone event will be a "Wheelchair for a Day" program, and everyone on campus is encouraged to sign up for a wheelchair for a few hours.
Samson and Sarah La Feber '03, another wheelchair-bound senior, were consulted about the class's idea. "We were concerned with how a full-time wheelchair user might react to our 'Wheelchair for a Day' program," Christopher Richards '04, a member of the class, admitted. Samson and La Feber, however, are very supportive of the idea.
"It's great that people want to learn about accessibility," Le Feber said. "The 'Wheelchair for a Day' program is going to be a real eye-opener for people on campus. It's important to raise awareness about what we have to go through on a daily basis. I'm looking forward to their reactions."
Samson wheels her way along the sidewalks beside Route 30 to get from her house to her dance class a few times a week. A couple of weeks ago, however, Facilities Management ripped up all the sidewalks for repair work, and nobody had thought to inform the on-campus American with Disabilities Act office of the disturbance. Samson is used to such "communication gaps," but she admitted afterward that "when you experience things like that on a daily basis it tends to chip away at you." She never made it to class that day.
Students, faculty and staff members will undoubtedly encounter numerous such difficulties next week as they attempt to go about their days in a wheelchair. "I thought about giving them a map," Samson said. "But then again …"
Additional coverage on "Accessibility Awareness Week" will appear in upcoming issues of The Campus.