Connecticut Colleges and Handicap Accessibility

Under the ADA, college campuses and universities must provide students with a disability services office that contains educational resources and the proper handicap accessibility options. Connecticut Colleges and Universities, specifically CCSU, WCSU, SCSU, ECSU, and Uconn, have done a lot to make their campuses more accessible to students, but some still have a long way to go.

Most of the CSU System's disability services goals are the same. "Our principal responsibility is to provide services and supports that promote educational equity for students with disabilities," SCSU's Disability Resource Center.
"The Office of Student Disability Services has been charged by the University to provide students, faculty, and staff with assistance and information on issues of access and full participation for persons with disabilities at Central Connecticut State University," CCSU Disability Services mission statement.

Although Central and Southern sound similar in their mission, Eastern and Western seem to take a more personable approach to help those with special needs.
"We foster a welcoming environment of mutual respect that treats all people as individuals in a courteous, friendly, fair, helpful, and respectful manner. We strive to identify and remove barriers that prevent individuals with disabilities from being full and equal participants in the university experience," says AccessAbility Services representative, Laurel Obstgarten.
**To the right is Laurel (3rd in back row) and other staff at Western** (WCSU Website)

For anyone with a physical mobility issue, one of the biggest concerns on a college campus is handicap accessibility.


As far as CCSU is concerned, there are ramps throughout the campus to help students get to class and elevators in each building, but from a personal standpoint, I believe disability access needs to be looked at and reworked. I am afraid of some of the academic and dorm building elevators because they need to renovated. I often refuse to take the elevator and prefer to take the stairs, but for students who cannot do that, I suggest CCSU Disability Services look into this issue.
Southern, Western, and Uconn seem to all be very accessible. Uconn even being one of the top universities in the country for their handicap accessibility and disability resources.
"It is very handicap accessible," says SCSU Disability Resource Center Director Deborah Fairchild. "We pride ourselves on that. Every building has an accessible entrance and elevator."
"As of right now, all buildings have handicap accessible entrances, and working elevators. We have worked with the Facilities department by developing a new curb cut outside of the Science Building so that wheelchairs can move easier," adds Obstgarten. "We are also working with that department to ensure that all bathrooms are handicap accessible. Students with mobility impairments that are registered with our office are also granted the accommodation that if an elevator breaks, the class is asked to move to an accessible floor. We have a student/faculty group called the Accessibility Committee that meets to discuss any changes that need to be made to the campus."

On top of having a great disability services center Uconn is taking their services above and beyond the CSU schools with their Beyond Access Program

Beyond Access can be broken down into three separate programs:

--SEAD (Strategic Education for students with Autusim spectrum Disorder)
--FAST (Focused Academic Skills Training)
--TASE (Technologies for Academic Skills Enrichment)

The overall program goes above and beyond "typical" disability service duties, and I would highly recommend you check it out. Once again, if you have a disability a lot goes in to picking the right school for you. It is hard to know which campuses will be most handicap accessible and/or fit your personal needs, but it is important to look into the Top 10 most accessible universities in the country.

How to Live on Campus With A Disability

Hello All,
Take it from someone who knows all too well, living on campus with a disability isn't always easy, but it is definitely worth it, if you can afford it, and can overcome some mobility issues

For this post, I would like to take blurbs and ideas from an article I wrote for a Magazine Writing class in February of 2008.

***The biggest challenge for any physically impaired college resident is recognizing his or her own abilities and disadvantages when navigating the campus. Whether your disability causes you to be in a wheelchair, on crutches, or lack balance, make sure there are no surprises on move-in day.

***Second, make your presence known. The two greatest rewards of living on campus with a disability are claiming independence and bringing a unique form of diversity to the community. On the first day of class after hitting the snooze button ten times and dragging yourself out of bed, visit the disability services office. Explain who you are and depending on your situations what accommodations you may need for your room or class. If you need a table to sit at instead of a desk or you need a chair in your shower...let them know... they are there to help you.

***Lastly know your social boundaries. There is no doubt that the college life is full of parties. Whether you are into partying or not, any social event can present challenges.

The following is a quote from Central student with Spina Bifida

"It's quite hard to go to house parties because you don't know if you will be able to get up and down the stairs or in and out of the bathroom unless you have been to the house before. It doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't go, it just means its better to know the house layout and the person that owns it” --Danny Friar, 20

Also, I am no way promoting underage drinking, but if you are going to drink, know how it affects your disability and the human body.

Overall, your "living on campus checklist" may be different than the average persons', but the key to living on campus and claiming independence is simply to plan ahead!