A Ball State University junior is pushing to make it easier for himself and other blind students to navigate around campus.
Joe Hodge met with the Residence Hall Association on Thursday to discuss putting Braille signs and labels around campus.
Having Braille signs with the room number on all doors will make it much easier for blind students to find their destination without assistance, Hodge said.
"I was in [the Arts and Communication Building] and had to use the bathroom," he said. "Every room there is Brailled except the bathrooms. That's kind of how this came up. I've never gone in the wrong one myself, thank God, but I've heard stories of others. I'm trying to prevent that."
Although many of the newer building on campus have Braille on doors, some of the older buildings, including Teachers College and North Quad, do not.
"I think there's ways we could look into it," RHA adviser Angelia Zielke said. "It's definitely worth looking into."
Hodge approached Ethan Miller, the hall council president for Knotts/Edwards Halls, his residence hall, about having Braille signs put up around campus, Miller said. Hodge and Miller, with support from their hall council, wrote letters to RHA and Student Government Association about the signs, Miller said.
Miller said the letter addressed four areas to place Braille signs: residence hall common areas, residence hall rooms, classrooms and elevators and entrance doors to buildings.
Hodge said Braille signs on room doors, common areas and elevators would all be useful, but the directional signs wouldn't be as practical because it is not something blind students would think to look for on a building's door.
"I think the directional sign thing is kind of a weird thing," Hodge said. "I've never seen something like that before. As for spending money on it, that would be a bad idea. It would be great if it would catch on though."
Hodge wants to first focus on having Braille signs in LaFollette Complex, he said.
"I just want people to know that it would be helpful, and I wish that all the buildings could be done in Braille," Hodge said, "but you've got to start off small, I guess."
Studebaker West and the Noyer Complex have Braille signs on room doors, but they are further from his classes and it is more convenient to live in LaFollette, Hodge said.
"I'm a junior, and I've lived [in LaFollette] for three years, so I've decided to stay," he said. "I know there are other blind people who live here, and I'm surprised that nothing has been done yet."
In order to find a room in LaFollette, Hodge often has to ask for assistance, he said. Braille signs on the door would make it easier for him to find the room he wants and have more independence, he said.
"I have to memorize where the rooms are," Hodge said. "I just think it would be great to have Braille signs on the rooms because you wouldn't have to keep it in your head so much."
It's more difficult to navigate through other buildings on campus that don't have Braille signs on doors, Hodge said.
"In LaFollette it's not as big of a deal finding a room because there's normally someone in the hall to help," he said. "In TC it's annoying because you have to try to maneuver through people. The independence is a huge factor to me."
Hodge spoke with Larry Markle, director of Disabled Student Development, about having Braille signs placed in Teachers College and North Quad, but that will not happen for a few more years, Markle said. Once renovations are complete, Braille signs will be placed in the buildings, he said.
"I'm open if any student with a disability has concerns about accessibility," Markle said. "We can work with them to find the best resolution for the student."
Disabled Student Development offers services for disabled students who want help getting around campus, Markle said. The officer provides help for blind students with things such as note taking and library research, he said.
The university also provides orientation and mobility specialists who help blind students learn their way around campus during their first week of classes freshman year, he said. Shuttle services for door-to-door transportation are also offered, he said.
"I think this is a pretty good campus to learn because you've got McKinley as the main drag that everything functions off of," he said.
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