2008 Woodie Awards
Acess Denied
Anna Hindeman
Issue date: 10/24/08 Section: Opinion
The new Student Activity Center is hopefully near completion and the landscaping around the campus is still very much in progress. Although the sidewalks have been widened and ramps have been installed, there is one particular concern, entrance.
Yes, it is true that there are several doors to each building, so what do I mean by access denied? Well, the new SAC is a great addition to our already outstanding school! Although there are elevators throughout the campus, all of the new ramps for better access are almost a dead end when they reach the door. The problem with this is that there are students at Kansas Wesleyan that may have difficulties pulling the doors open once they get up to the door via the ramp.
Access doesn't have to be denied if one step is taken. The one step that needs to be taken is the installation of automatic doors. A button or switch to allow the doors to open would allow all students better access to everywhere on campus! After all, accessibility for students and faculty alike would also give the college more notoriety. Several students and staff agree that automatic doors would be an extremely beneficial addition to the new SAC as well as improved sidewalks and ramps.
Falling under the category of a handicapped student, I am quite accustomed to adapting to better assist myself in different environments. The elevators and ramps make the campus much more accessible to me; however, the outside doors to all of the buildings on campus are still non-accessible. I use a guide dog for mobility assistance and he's controlled by my left hand and I always carry my backpack with me, which gives me very little flexibility with my right hand. This causes a problem when I need to go to another building on campus. Although the ramps are wonderful in allowing me to gain access to the buildings, the doors are heavy and often cumbersome to pull open when my hands are full.
Experiences can also influence action. For example; a fellow student, using a wheelchair, could not gain access to the main building because there were no automatic doors. The student was unable to pull the big doors open and had to wait for another student to pass by and open the door.
Automatic doors will bring more accessibility to the campus. A disability is not exactly the nicest word to use when describing someone who needs different things. Independence is what we want to achieve and we can do that with better access through automatic doors.
Yes, it is true that there are several doors to each building, so what do I mean by access denied? Well, the new SAC is a great addition to our already outstanding school! Although there are elevators throughout the campus, all of the new ramps for better access are almost a dead end when they reach the door. The problem with this is that there are students at Kansas Wesleyan that may have difficulties pulling the doors open once they get up to the door via the ramp.
Access doesn't have to be denied if one step is taken. The one step that needs to be taken is the installation of automatic doors. A button or switch to allow the doors to open would allow all students better access to everywhere on campus! After all, accessibility for students and faculty alike would also give the college more notoriety. Several students and staff agree that automatic doors would be an extremely beneficial addition to the new SAC as well as improved sidewalks and ramps.
Falling under the category of a handicapped student, I am quite accustomed to adapting to better assist myself in different environments. The elevators and ramps make the campus much more accessible to me; however, the outside doors to all of the buildings on campus are still non-accessible. I use a guide dog for mobility assistance and he's controlled by my left hand and I always carry my backpack with me, which gives me very little flexibility with my right hand. This causes a problem when I need to go to another building on campus. Although the ramps are wonderful in allowing me to gain access to the buildings, the doors are heavy and often cumbersome to pull open when my hands are full.
Experiences can also influence action. For example; a fellow student, using a wheelchair, could not gain access to the main building because there were no automatic doors. The student was unable to pull the big doors open and had to wait for another student to pass by and open the door.
Automatic doors will bring more accessibility to the campus. A disability is not exactly the nicest word to use when describing someone who needs different things. Independence is what we want to achieve and we can do that with better access through automatic doors.
Be the first to comment on this story