Accessibility is high on the Heights

A Boston College student hobbles down three flights of stairs, only to start another journey to the Newton bus stop. She takes the bus to Main Gate and moves, on crutches, through a crowd of students to Cushing Hall, where her classes are held. This may sound like an unusual occurrence, but for BC students such Bridget Charles, CSON '09, who have either a temporary injury or a lifelong physical disability, the trek to Main Campus can be time-consuming and exhausting.

Charles recalled her difficulties freshman year getting to and from class when she tore the ligaments in her foot, requiring her to use crutches. "I had to leave like 10 minutes earlier to get to Stu [Stuart Dining Hall]. I didn't do the Eagle Escort so I took the bus," she said. Because of the amount of stairs on campus, Charles had to leave earlier to account for the detours she would have to take.

Charles, however, is not alone. Like Charles, Lisa Derr, A&S '10, and Kim Ramjattan, CSON '10, are familiar with the routine. Both, living on Lower Campus, woke up early to call the Eagle Escort for a ride to and from class each day. "I'd have to wake up earlier than normal to be ready by 9:30 [in the morning] to call the van for a 10 o'clock class in Devlin. With all the construction going on in Gasson they would drop me off by Lyons and I'd have to walk all the way to Devlin, which wasn't that bad, but it's still bad on crutches," Derr said.

Ramjattan had to wake up at 5:45 a.m. for her 8 a.m. class. "I think it worked out good living in 90 [St. Thomas More Road] because the van would pick me up outside and I live right by the elevator, but sometimes I had to wait 40 minutes depending on how busy they were," she said.

Suzy Conway, assistant dean for students with disabilities in the Office of the Dean for Student Development, is aware of how the layout of BC's campus affects a large portion of students. Along with students with temporary disabilities, BC tries to accommodate students who use wheelchairs and scooters.

Students who become injured throughout the semester, like Charles, Derr, and Ramjattan, know the strain of mobility all too well.

To prevent discrimination, the Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, ensures that people with disabilities are given necessary accommodations. BC has tried to follow its guidelines to make the campus as accessible as possible. "The fact that this school is built on a hill, from a topographical standpoint, makes it tough," Conway said. "Any new construction on campus [now] pays attention to accessibility on campus … that's a good thing."

Conway and her colleagues in the Disability Advisory Committee - which includes the Boston College Police Department and Transportation and Parking Services, and Facilities - meet once a semester to discuss accessibility projects from year to year. She noted that "they have been good in responding to situations and helping with different things … it's encouraging because [it shows that] people do take disability situations seriously." Likewise, Conway is the head of the Disability Awareness Committee, where students come together to discuss their concerns on disability issues such as mobility throughout campus.

Students are quick to critique BC's poor accessibility, being that the campus is largely stair-oriented, but both Derr and Ramjattan acknowledge that BC is trying to make the best of a non-ideal topography. Derr said: "I can name a few specific departments in BC that were helpful: Health Services, BCPD, Reslife, sports medicine, and Conte Forum. Everyone does what they can, but we're called the Heights for a reason. The campus is what it is and they do they best they can with what they have. The only fault is that there are handicap accessible entrances to buildings that you might not know of, like Gasson. If you walk around there is a ramp into the building, but the entrance you would think to use has stairs. I mean, I used it because I could, but if you're on a wheelchair you just can't."

Ramjattan agreed: "It may not be easy but it's possible."

Brendan Prout, A&S '09, having broken his ankle in an intramural football game last winter, stressed that getting from his residence hall to class can be much easier than getting from one class to another. "I used it [the van] for getting to the hospital and stuff … it worked pretty well, I think the schedule was pretty reliable to go back and forth from the hospital. It dropped me off at Walsh a couple of times. But getting from class to class is probably the worst part because you can't rely on the van to take you from one class to the next. For example, it would be tricky to go from Merkert to the fourth floor of Lyons," he said.

The University has resources such as the Eagle Transport (the medical transport van), handicap parking spaces, mobility training for those who are blind, curb cuts, an online map of campus, and slap pads - the round push buttons that open automatic doors - to help its students. The ramp in front of O'Neill Library added last year, the renovated ramp to McGuinn's lecture hall, and the card swipe installed on the bottom floor of the library that grants access to the elevator in O'Neill all help disabled individuals acclimate to the campus. "It [the card swipe] has helped a lot of students on crutches, but a lot of people don't know about it," Conway said.

Derr, having had surgery on her right ankle in August for osteochondritis, offered a critique. "I would have the handicapped entrances to buildings marked better. One time when I was walking around campus going to Gasson, one of the construction workers pointed out the handicap entrance ramp, but without him I wouldn't have noticed. I didn't know it was there … If the office of disabilities gives you a little packet of how to pick up the eagle van or where the handicap entrances are, they would be good in alleviating the stress. I know I was stressed before I came here researching these things," she said. Prout also mentioned how BC should create better locations for the elavators on campus.