 | The nicest improvements that make Yale buildings wheelchair-accessible, says engineer Glenn Weston-Murphy, "not only benefit those of us who use wheelchairs but are enjoyed by everyone." This ramp at the entrance to Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall is deliberately designed to blend in with the building's architecture. |
In connection with his work at Yale as an engineering design adviser and lecturer in mechanical engineering, Glenn Weston-Murphy travels at least 10 times a day through an underground access tunnel linking Mason and Dunham Laboratories.
For most of his nearly eight years at Yale, the trip involved navigating a steep ramp in his wheelchair, which proved to be both a difficult climb up and a nerve-wracking ride down. The ramp was not only a challenge for Weston-Murphy, however. He often observed the difficulties encountered on the ramp by those operating forklifts or hand trucks to move heavy supplies and equipment.
In the summer of 2005, the University converted the ramp into a gently sloping passageway, making its traverse vastly easier for Weston-Murphy and others at Yale using wheelchairs, as well as for everyone else who traveled through the tunnel.
During a recent tour of a section of the University's Central Campus, Weston-Murphy pointed to the re-sloped passageway as one of the many alterations made during his time here to improve access to campus buildings and facilities, and to improve ease of access on many of its paths and walkways.
In fact, the Yale engineer says, the re-sloping represents the best kind of physical alteration the University has made as part of this effort.
"The nicest improvements are the ones that not only benefit those of us who use wheelchairs but are enjoyed by everyone," he says. "A more gently sloped outdoor pathway, for example, can not only make things easier for me, but also for someone pushing a stroller, or a person on a bicycle or a delivery person. And the ideal is to have these improvements made in as unobtrusive a way as possible."
A gently sloping cement pathway created two years ago to improve access to Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall (SSS) -- the construction of which barely altered the architectural appearance of the 75-year-old Gothic-style building -- is another example of a well-thought-out accessibility improvement, Weston-Murphy believes.
"Not many people even noticed the change, and yet, in addition to improving access to the building for people who are mobility impaired, the pathway is also used by many other people traveling to or from SSS," he says.
According to Judy York, director of the University's Resource Office on Disabilities, SSS is among the many Yale buildings that have undergone major or minor upgrades or renovations to make them accessible, (or more easily accessible) to permanent or temporary wheelchair users on the campus.
"Nearly 70% of the buildings on our main campus, as well as the athletic fields and the Yale boathouse, are now accessible, a 20% increase in the last five years," says York. "A very concerted effort is being made by the University to continue to improve that number."
York describes the campus as a dramatically different place in terms of its accessibility than it was when she arrived as director of the Resource Office on Disabilities about seven years ago.
She notes that while many people who are not mobility impaired equate "accessibility" with wheelchair ramps and lift elevators, making campus improvements to accommodate persons using wheelchairs involves much more.
"The lay person might not notice that our many campus improvements include installing water fountains that are accessible to wheelchair users, creating accessible bathrooms, and installing automated doors, hand railings and accessibility signage, among other changes."
In just the last three years alone, these improvements have included -- in addition to the SSS ramp and the Dunham/Mason Laboratories' passageway -- the creation of an accessible bathroom at the University Theatre; a new ramp at the African-American Cultural Center; automatic doors at Osborn Memorial Laboratories and many other buildings; the installation of hand rails at SSS and Woolsey Hall; new ramps and automatic door openers at Woolsey Hall and University Commons; and the building of a wheelchair-accessible entrance to Woodbridge Hall, a project which won a 2005 design award from the Connecticut chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
These are just some of the campus accessibility projects that have been undertaken in recent years, stresses York. She notes that there are several processes by which accessibility improvements are made.
First, when any new buildings are being constructed on campus, the University automatically incorporates fully accessible entrances and spaces into the design plan in compliance with codes established by the American Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, which requires that the main entrances of buildings, and other ground-floor entrances, be accessible. Likewise, when necessary, enhancements are made to any campus buildings undergoing a major renovation to make them accessible or to enhance their accessibility. New Central Campus buildings that meet or exceed ADA accessibility codes include the Malone Engineering Center, the Swing Space, the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library, the Class of 1954 Environmental Sciences Center and the Class of 1954 Chemistry Research Building, to name just some.
Recently renovated buildings with enhanced accessibility include Sprague Memorial Hall, William L. Harkness Hall, Linsly-Chittenden Hall, the Yale University Art Gallery, 1 Hillhouse Ave. (the Provost's Office), 370 Temple St. (the Center for Language Study and other offices) and Betts House, among others. More than half of Yale's 12 residential colleges have also been renovated; these construction projects also incorporated changes resulting in improved access. The remainder of the residential colleges will be overhauled within the next four years.
"Our review of blueprints for building designs allows us to identify potential issues for our students and staff who have disabilities and to suggest design improvements," says Roman Kuc, professor of electrical engineering and director of educational affairs in engineering, who chairs the Advisory Committee on Resources for Students with Disabilities. He notes that committee members consider a variety of concerns, including pathways around the building, accessible parking spaces, the slope of ramps and ramp landings, elevators and doors.
"Oftentimes," says York, "we also get to see the second phase of design plans so we can coach any changes before the final design plans are set." The group recently had the opportunity to assess the design for the renovation of Stoeckel Hall, which will have a new entrance with a wheelchair ramp, as well as plans for the new University Health Services Center.
Smaller improvements that are not part of major capital projects are also continually being made for the purpose of improving accessibility, according to York. These projects -- generally funded by the Provost Office's Alterations Fund overseen by deputy provost Lloyd Suttle -- include the creation or installation of accessible bathrooms and drinking fountains, ramps, automated doors, elevator lifts, railings, re-sloped passageways, reconfigured pathways and more. Each year, the University spends hundreds of thousands of dollars making these improvements, which are often suggested to the advisory committee by students or staff with disabilities.
"Whenever a particular issue or problem is brought to our attention, we really do our very best to help remedy the situation," says York. She notes that in addition to improving accessibility for the campus-wide community, in any given year the University also makes modifications on behalf of individual students. As an example, at the start of the school year, under-the-sink cabinets were removed in a graduate-student apartment so that the student, who uses a wheelchair, can reach her sink.
Yale senior Charles Boebinger encountered difficulty two years ago during a construction project on Hewlett Quadrangle, when a temporary building erected for construction workers blocked one of two wheelchair ramps he used to access Commons dining hall. One day after lodging a complaint, he says, a new ramp was installed for wheelchair users in place of the blocked one.
"I was extremely impressed," says Boebinger of the quick response to his concern. He adds that the same construction resulted in a newly situated accessible entrance to Commons, which he finds easier to use than previous setup.
Weston-Murphy says that one of the most significant recent improvements is the new accessible entrance to Woolsey Hall. Prior to that renovation, wheelchair users had to go around to the back of the building, making for a longer travel time and forcing them to enter and exit the building alone, often at night, which, he notes, created a concern about safety. In addition, the old entrance at the back forced wheelchair users to be split up from companions who used the front entrance, thus detracting from the social aspect of attending Woolsey Hall events. In its renovation projects, the University has made it a goal to create accessible main entrances wherever feasible, so that wheelchair users can enter and exit buildings with everyone else.
Three other subcommittees of the Advisory Committee on Resources for Students and Employees with Disabilities also focus on improving accessibility on campus, including access to transportation and to resources. The Service Group helps assess the special needs for services, such as transportation and access along paths-of-travel, as well as state-of-the-art resources for assistive technologies, such as kneeling buses with ramps or adjustable-height examination tables for the Yale University Health Services Center. The Technology Access Group identifies accessibility issues related to the use of electronic resources at Yale, while the Education and Awareness Group develops programs and publicity to increase understanding of special needs and resources for persons with disabilities.
In addition to the regular task of advising the Yale administration on accommodations for disabled members of the campus community and on best practices in services for them, the Advisory Committee on Resources for Students and Employees with Disabilities has this year been reviewing current procedures and plans for emergency response as they relate to disabled persons on campus. The committee will advise Stephanie Spangler, deputy provost for biomedical and health affairs, on any needed improvements to current procedures.
York notes that attention to issues of accessibility on campus is of major importance to the University, which has a growing number of students with disabilities. There are now 350 students who are registered with the Resource Office on Disabilities, which is double the number of disabled students who identified themselves seven years ago, she says.
York, Kuc, Weston-Murphy and Boebinger acknowledge that there is still more work to be done on campus to enhance the experience of its population of disabled students, and they admit that every area of the campus will never be 100% accessible.
While the renovated residential colleges have more accessible rooms and public spaces, for example, a student in a wheelchair cannot travel to all of his or friends' dormitory rooms the way an able-bodied person can, Boebinger notes.
"Yale is very receptive to the principle of providing accessibility for all who study or visit the campus, but at the same time the University is limited by a 300-year-old infrastructure and a finite budget for doing things," acknowledges Weston-Murphy. "Still, in my time here alone, the University has spent many millions of dollars on access issues. The task to improve access is big, and none of us can expect that all of the necessary changes can happen in weeks, or a year, or even in a decade."
Nevertheless, changes are happening quickly enough that the University's "Access Map," which identifies accessible buildings on campus as well as entrances accessible via wheelchair lifts, buildings with elevators and accessible routes within city blocks, must be updated every 18 months, says York.
"We may not have the means to make centuries-old buildings fully accessible, but we have been able to modify many older buildings, and we are certainly doing all that we can to make our newest buildings the best they can be," she says. "Our committees, which include wheelchair users on campus, are deeply committed to the cause of improving access to Yale's facilities, and I think the changes that have taken place in the past several years are a real reflection of that commitment."
Educating the Yale community about, and raising awareness of, the issues faced by its disabled members is paramount to continuing in the right direction, according to York, Kuc, Weston-Murphy and others.
"We are always telling people, when you schedule a public event, make sure you do so in a place where everyone can attend it," says Weston-Murphy. "It is embarrassing for organizers and attendees when events have to be moved late in the planning process. Educating people to understand and appreciate the issues for wheelchair users or people with other disabilities is, rightly, a big part of the mission of the Advisory Committee on Resources for Students and Employees with Disabilities. The truth is, maybe some of our buildings can't change, but people can."
Printed versions of the University's Access Map are available at the Resource Office on Disabilities, located on the first floor of William L. Harkness Hall, 100 Wall St. To view the map online, visit www.yale.edu/rod/accessmap.
-- By Susan Gonzalez
Members of the Provost's Advisory Committee on Resources for Students and Employees with Disabilities are concerned with helping to evaluate and improve the accessibility of buildings and facilities on campus for community members who use wheelchairs. Its members also serve on four subcommittees that are working to ensure that students with disabilities have access to resources and services, as well as to raise awareness about issues affecting disabled students and staff members.
The committee is chaired by Roman Kuc. Members of the committee (and subcommittee chairs) are: Edward Barnaby, Angela Crowley, Margaret Drickamer, Mark Francis (chair of Facilities Access), Craig Harwood, Caroline Hendel, Edward Kamens, Ruth Koizim, Keith Krumwiede, Jonathan Lizee (chair of Technology Access), Jill Pagliuca, Katherine Reynolds, Stephanie Spangler, Valarie Stanley, Glenn Thrope, Betty Trachtenberg, Diane Turner (chair of Education, Publicity and Awareness), Dorothyann van Rhijn (chair of Services), Glenn Weston-Murphy and Judith York.
For more information about the work of these committees, contact judith.york@yale.edu.
T H I S
Despite challenges, accessibility
improving in Yale buildings
This wheelchair-accessible entrance to Woodbridge Hall won a design award from the Connecticut chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
When new buildings are being constructed or older buildings are being substantially renovated, York, Weston-Murphy and other members of the Facilities Access Group meet with architects and University planners to examine building designs. The group is one of four subcommittees of the Provost's Advisory Committee on Resources for Students and Employees with Disabilities, an organization comprised of faculty, students and administrative staff, which recommends policies, processes and resources for improving the physical and functional aspects of accessibility for the campus community (see the list of members, below). Its Facilities Access Group works with other departments to review new and renovated facilities for accessibility, and evaluates needs and priorities for annual budgeting recommendations. In addition, this subcommittee also develops and monitors supplementary standards for planning accessible facilities and for maintenance of accessible facilities once they have been achieved
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