When snow is blocking the way for wheelchairs this winter or automatic door openers or elevators are broken, handicapped students at Ball State University will not be inconvenienced for long.
Most concerns are addressed quickly, and problems are taken care of as soon as possible, Brandon Gore, president of Disabled Students in Action, said.
Larry Markle, director of disabled student development, said, "Overall, you'd be hard-pressed to find many campuses as physically accessible as this one."
To make sure the concerns of physically disabled students are addressed, Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president of facilities management and planning, meets once a year with Disabled Students in Action, a student organization. He listens to what the students have to say and informs them of improvements that are planned, he said.
"They generally seem satisfied with everything," he said.
Gore said he and other students have a good relationship with Kenyon and the Office of Facilities Management and Planning.
Communication is an important element between the department and the physically disabled students, Kenyon said.
"We have a great working relationship and communicate very well," he said. "We try to be responsive."
Door openers are repaired by maintenance workers on campus, but elevators are repaired by someone outside the university, Kenyon said. Elevators, however, are less likely to break because workers perform preventative maintenance to keep them in working order, he said.
Several projects are in progress that will meet the needs of physically disabled students, Kenyon said. The new residence hall will have handicap accessible rooms, which are spread throughout so handicap students aren't secluded in one area, he said.
Sophomore Cassie Enyart said getting around Ball State is easier than her previous college, Indiana University.
Enyart said she noticed the disability accessible rooms are spread out instead of all together on one floor, and residence halls are more accessible, with ramps and automatic door openers.
Ball State's campus isn't spread out, and most buildings have ramps to get in and out as well as elevators and ramps to get around inside the buildings, she said.
"A big difference is the people you're working with," Enyart said.
Markle said the McKinley project has helped students in wheelchairs to cross the street. Several more access ramps are available as well as a median so students aren't stuck in the middle of the road.
Kenyon said he heard some students were concerned that it is hard to cross University Avenue in front of the L.A. Pittenger Student Center. His department is planning to improve that crosswalk, possibly with a center island. He said this should be implemented before spring.
The university is also working to provide a more accessible hotel room in the Student Center's hotel, Kenyon said.
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