College can be challenging, and sometimes, people need accommodations to have the best college experience. Accessibility is one way to try to create equality across a college campus. EMU talks about how important it is to create an equal learning environment where anyone can come and learn here.
Trina Trotter Nussbaum is the associate director of the Center for Interfaith Engagement (CIE) and is an advocate for accessibility around campus. Nussbaum says, “There are multiple ways of thinking about accessibility around campus. Accessibility is trying to fix significant issues that make it harder to travel around campus. Accessibility also means removing barriers to success in academic and social settings.”
Nussbaum works with the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) team to make EMU a more inclusive and accepting space. She believes “EMU is more helpful when it comes to accessibility for people with learning disabilities as opposed to people with mobility issues.” Nussbaum appreciates facilities management, auxiliary services, and security for all they have done to help make EMU more accessible. She thinks that EMU needs to keep accessibility in mind when renovating buildings. Nussbaum stressed, “We are in need of an all-campus accessibility audit from an outside group.”
Senior Patricia Hizon is a transfer student from Old Dominion University with cerebral palsy. She shares about her experience navigating EMU’s hilly campus on her electric scooter, stating that accessibility around campus needs more development. Hizon pointed out around campus that there are no buttons to open the doors to get into the top floor of Suter Science Center; there are also no buttons to get into the second and third floors of Roselawn. Hizon also thinks there needs to be more accessible bathrooms, and says it would be helpful if buttons could be added to the bathroom doors so it is easier to get into the accessible bathrooms. Hizon says, “Professors and students are very helpful, but you don’t want people to feel pity for you. You want people to treat everyone with compassion and for inclusivity and accessibility to be a necessity on campus.”
EMU has resources and ways to help campus be as accessible as possible for students. The Office of Academic Access (Disability Services) is located in the Academic Success Center on the top floor of the Hartzler Library. Cathy Smeltzer Erb is the Director of the Academic Success Center. If you need accommodations of any kind at EMU, she is the person you want to talk to. Smeltzer Erb says, “We are making progress on campus regarding accessibility; we learn from the student’s needs. The student helps us identify what they need, and then we do what we can to help accommodate them here at EMU.”
Smeltzer Erb says if you need accommodations, you bring medical documentation from proper medical experts to her office. Then, she will set up an interview with you to determine what can be done to help. Smeltzer Erb believes, “We need to normalize accommodations and educate the campus as a whole on how to make an inclusive space.”
Sophomore Milee White, president of the new club Disabled Student Alliance, is diagnosed with septo-optic dysplasia, which means she has limited vision. White says that, in general, it is hard for her to get around EMU’s campus. She wants to see a change around EMU for the stairs to be painted, preferably yellow, as it stands out best. White recalls, “One time I was walking up the stairs to the library, and since the railing is at the side but the door at the top of the stairs is in the middle, it makes the most sense to walk up the middle of the stairs. While going up the stairs, I tripped and fell; later that day, when talking to someone who works at EMU, they said, ‘What could you have done to keep yourself safer?'” White talks about how that is not what you want to hear when you just fell and hurt yourself. White shares “how frustrating it can get that people in places of power will preach accessibility and inclusivity. Still, when asked to make a change, they won’t do it if it doesn’t easily fit in the budget.”
Sophomore Quinn Kimble has been diagnosed with hearing loss, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Kimble says, “It should be frustrating for EMU because they would be able to retain students so much better if they just had more accessibility on campus.”
Junior Cassidy Walker has been diagnosed with EDS, POTS, and neuropathy of the lower body. She says that she has a hard time getting to class. She has a hard time with the stairs and hills some days, so she has to drive her car all around campus, which means a lot of money is spent on gas. Walker says, “There has been more acceptance towards accessibility since I have been here. More people will listen to the problems, but people still don’t do much to try to fix the problems.”
Walker also shares the difference between disability rights and disability justice. Disability rights are the laws that help try to make things more equal, whereas disability justice is an international approach to the problem, looking at it from multiple angles and trying to reach true equity. Walker says EMU approaches accessibility from a more disability rights approach when they should be using a disability justice approach.
EMU Provost Dr. Tynisha D. Willingham says, “It is important to make sure our campus is accessible to everyone, and our professors use inclusive pedagogies to help try to achieve this.” Willingham goes on to say, “I admit we have older buildings that are not the most accessible, so as we renovate them, we will try to make them more accessible. We should also try to put more railings on the stairs around campus.” Willingham also mentioned how she would like to be invited to a meeting of the Disabled Student Alliance to see if they can work together.
Shawn Ramer, EMU’s chief operations officer (COO), is in his seventh month of the position. The COO is in charge of the budget and deciding where that money goes. He is also in charge of the bureaucracy at EMU. Ramer says, “I see a lot of things around campus that need to be done, and accessibility is one of those things.” He goes on to say, “I think there should be a better process to submit suggestions that should be made to EMU’s Campus. I also think there should be a dashboard so you can see ongoing projects at EMU and see the progress that is being made towards it.”
