Accommodations helpful for students with disabilities.
by Sarah Casagrande
MOUNT BERRY, GA. – For many students, drinking a cup of coffee or checking the mail is part of the daily routine at the Krannert Center. But for junior Suleima Jacob, who has been in a wheelchair since 2007, that routine often involves getting stuck in the door.
“The front doors and side doors in Krannert are kind of narrow, and you have to kind of shimmy through,” Jacob said.
Ramps, elevators, and wide hallways are all building regulations required by the Americans With Disabilities Act passed in 1990. According to the ADA website, the act prevents discrimination based on disability and requires colleges to provide academic and housing accommodations to students who need them.
At Berry College, disability housing is available through Residence Life. According to the Assistant Director Ellen Hearn, the Morgan and Deerfield Halls provide most of this housing for students due to its accessibility.
“Most of my accommodations are things like a shower seat or a big enough bathroom,” junior Sam Hollis-White said. “I swing myself everywhere and I need a lot of space,”
Hollis-White has cerebral palsy and needs canes in order to walk. She was able to live in Morgan Hall her first two years and said that she enjoyed having the automatic doors, especially if she was carrying things.
Other dorms, such as Ford, are unable to be used for disabled students due to a lack of ramps and elevators. Hearn said that ADA guidelines only apply to new or renovated buildings, and the Ford Halls were built in the 1930s and have not been renovated recently.
“One of my friends had a haunted house in the basement [of Ford] and because of the lack of accessibility I wasn’t able to participate,” Jacob said.
Academic accommodations are available for disabled students as well. Jacob has had her classrooms and labs modified so that her wheelchair could fit at the desks. Sophomore Haley Yonks receives extra time on tests due to mental complications from her treatment for Crohn’s Disease, an inflammatory condition of the intestines.
Despite the accommodations, here are still some academic buildings that pose an issue for disabled students.
“If I was to take an art course in the Moon Building, they’d have to move it or something, because it’s not handicap accessible,” Jacob said.
According to Hearn, there are no current plans to renovate Ford, Moon or any of the other older buildings. But new and renovated buildings must be up to code, and Berry tries to help students when possible.
When Hollis-White took a costume and makeup class in Blackstone Hall, all of the equipment was moved every day so Hollis-White would not have to climb the stairs.
“They’ve been wonderful about [my disability],” Hollis-White said. “I know that they really try to go above and beyond to try and help me.”