Andrews University is about 150 years old. There have been a lot of changes, alterations, and additions to the campus since its inception. One alteration to this college campus, while begun, has room for significant growth – more accessibility to those with limited mobility, whether they are in wheelchairs, on crutches, or have other mobility challenges. While there are the legally required ramps, elevators, and blue buttons to automatically open doors, much more needs to be done. I interviewed Lexie Dunham (junior, psychology), a student here at Andrews University, to see her thoughts on the issue, and my my! Was there a lot to be found!
Everyone knows that Andrews gets covered in snow and, at many times, freezes over. When this occurs, the ramps to get up to the cafe are very dangerous. It’s already dangerous some days in Michigan to just walk on the sidewalk. When it freezes, people are dancing around on the sidewalk because it is so slippery. Just imagine being in a wheelchair! The icy ramps do not seem safe to go up. Mind you, this is the only wheelchair-accessible way to get into the cafe. Thus, people who cannot walk, either temporarily or permanently, have a harder time getting food some days. This is not okay.
Because Andrews University is a religious entity, the school is exempt from some parts of ADA. However, since Andrews University receives funding from the government, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act applies. The provisions of Section 504 are essentially the same as those of the ADA, so Andrews legally is subject to the full range of requirements that address disability-based discrimination.
According to the ADA, accessible entrances must be close enough to the parking lot for easy access and need to be known to the public. The Science Complex has a hidden ramp at the back of the building, and an elevator on the second floor. This makes no sense. If you have a class on the second floor, good luck getting there. A lot of the accessible routes are not widely known. Marsh Hall has a hidden elevator as well, which unfortunately never works. So, for those with disabilities who need to get their general education classes such as Wellbeing-360 (takes place in Marsh Hall), they will not be able to attend class.
Go check out Nethery Hall – the blue button for the automatic door on the cafe side does not work. The ramp is dangerous and awkward. Ironically, this is where the disability department, a part of the Student Success Center, is located. The department doesn’t get many visitors, however, since those who are disabled can’t even get through the doors! The elevator in the science complex is sketchy as well. Lights have been known to turn off while the elevator is in use. Even worse, some have gotten stuck in the elevator! The cafe elevator occasionally does not work either. Whoops! Guess you can’t eat. And the James White Library… all of those stairs and no widely known accessible entrance. Or maybe there is? How are we to know? There is no promotion of this campus accessibility, or at least that I have heard of. It’s already tough on freshmen being thrown onto a new campus and not knowing where any of their classes are. They should not have to worry about just simply getting into the building.
But what about the most important building out of all the buildings on this campus? The girls’ living facility: Lamson Hall! Lamson has no automatic door button and no elevator. Without the help of the friendly people on this Andrews campus who will hold the door open for you, it is very difficult for someone who is in a wheelchair to get into the building. If they are holding books, cafe food, etc., this makes it ten times harder to get in. Additionally, once the individual is able to just enter the building, there is no way to get a scooter or wheelchair into the Lamson dorm rooms, due to the narrow door frames.
It appears it is not important to the university to accommodate those who are in need of basic human functions, even as they have a religious exemption from abiding by the ADA. Lack of accessibility is not only dehumanizing, but very dangerous. We have had multiple fire alarms go off while in Nethery and Buller this year. When the fire alarm goes off, the elevator shuts off, and there is no way for a person in a wheelchair to get out safely. This is very concerning. There are ways to accommodate a person getting down the stairs. But even if these accommodations do exist, they probably aren't anywhere near as convenient or fast. Which is very problematic in the event of an emergency.
This is not a new or recent issue. Students have spoken up and received unclear answers (as seen in the town hall meeting held last semester). When asked about what the next steps would be to further accommodate disabled students here at Andrews, Glenn “Chip” A. Meekma Jr. stated that accommodations are going to be implemented in the university’s next long-term projects for renovations, but did not give a timeline for such developments. This response further obscures the issue and does not allude to there being any strong future plans on making accessible accommodations. There needs to be acknowledgement from the administration. There needs to be a change. This university thrives on “diversity.” Diversity does not just mean ethnicity. It means everyone. All of us.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.