‘Accessible to an extent;’ UCO campus shows challenge to students with disabilities

Rayce Phillips, a visually impaired student at the University of Central Oklahoma, had always dreamed of going to college.

“College is something I’ve wanted to do ever since I was a child, and now I’m here,” said Phillips.

Phillips began to lose his vision around 10-years-old, and while he can still see out of his peripheral vision in one eye, he uses a walking cane to navigate through life.

Phillips said for the most part his experiences at UCO have been positive, but there are still areas where he runs into trouble, mainly when it comes to accessibility on campus.

“If I need to go get books or something, that’s a much larger process,” said Phillips. Describing how he has to first locate the book number and then report it to Disability Support Services (DSS) in order to get it the way he needs it for his classes. He said this process can be time consuming and can cause him to get behind in classes.

Phillips is not the only student to run into accessibility issues on campus, Bailey Williams, a UCO student who requires the use of a wheelchair, has also experienced issues with accessibility.

Williams describes accessibility on campus as not adequate enough, and feels that further steps can be taken to ensure accessibility for all students.

Phillips spoke in detail about an incident in which he could not find a room located in the School of Music, because it did not have a braille room number. Phillips said this has been an issue in other buildings as well.

When describing campus, Phillips said, “It is accessible to an extent.”

Williams also described the campus as doing a great job of meeting the bare-minimum for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

Statements like these, and more, have grown on college campuses across the nation in recent months as the number of students with disabilities at universities has grown, according to the United States Government Accountability Office.

As Williams noted, many of the buildings on campus are historic, and with that many were not built with people with disabilities in mind. While many buildings, such as Thatcher Hall, may present a challenge, some amenities have been built.

However, Williams said this is not enough. She described difficult experiences she had while trying to access the building.

A ramp placed outside Thatcher Hall at the entrance closest to Broncho Lake presents a challenge to students in wheelchairs, Williams said. The accessibility button which electronically opens the door is placed at the top of the ramp, causing Williams to have difficulty holding momentum in her chair, while also waiting for the door to open.

This being one of the few accessible doors to the building presents another challenge for students with disabilities.

While students do face challenges on campus, DSS offers options and assistance to those who may need it.

“Our main job in the department is to qualify students with disabilities and determine what those accommodations are that they may need,” said Sharla Weathers, director of DSS.

Weathers said DSS offers an array of services for students with disabilities, including reduced distraction environments for quiz and test taking, screen-readers for visually impaired students, converted textbooks and letters of accommodations to provide to professors.

When describing their experiences with accommodation letters, both Phillips and Williams said there were difficulties.

Phillips had not received his accommodation letter for the fall 2024 semester until Sept. 11.

While Phillips did have to wait four weeks for his letter, he said all of his professors had been very understanding of the situation. Weathers noted the beginning of the semester being one of the most difficult for DSS, as they had students across the university which needed accommodations, and each student had to be assessed for what accommodations best meet their needs.

Williams however faced a different set of circumstances with her letter. During an aggressive storm a few semesters ago, Williams fell out of her chair while getting into her car, at her apartment.

This incident caused her to seek additional excused absences in the event of severe weather, which can present a challenge to her, she said.

DSS denied the request, frustrating Williams.

Still, DSS seeks to be a support option for students, said Weathers.

“ADA is the floor,” said Weathers, describing the act as not enough when seeking to accommodate students.

While Phillips and Williams both faced, as they described, negative experiences on campus, they also described how professors have assisted them.

Classroom accommodations were the most important to Phillips, who said making a personal connection with his professors made his experience better.

Phillips said a professor can make or break a class for him.

“If I decide to switch a class at the start of the year, I’ll switch it if I get a bad vibe from the instructor or I don’t believe they are a right fit,” said Phillips. He described how most of his work is done electronically through screen-readers and other accessibility applications, and that it does take him more time to do his work than it would most, which requires an understanding professor.

“If a professor’s willing to work with me, it shows a lot as to their character,” said Phillips.

Williams also described a professor’s willingness to work with her as a big factor in her learning experience.

When discussing how UCO can provide more to students who require accommodations, Weathers said the classroom is the most crucial element of accessibility. Describing how when showing videos, professors can use closed-captioning options, or ensure walkways are cleared for students who may have difficulty navigating the path, she also said professors can have multiple ways to assess students, so they can display their knowledge of the content beyond just tests.

Weathers said DSS has had a higher number of accommodation requests when compared to the post-Covid-19 fall semesters and, as of the Sept. 13 interview with The Vista, Weathers said DSS was still a week booked out in scheduling appointments.

While DSS is at its peak accommodations request time, there are still options for students with disabilities on campus, said Weathers, pointing to accommodations from professors.

In a study published by the University of Washington, it found that it takes a more holistic approach to ensure accessibility on campus.

“It is not just the disability services office or the disability services provider or the director or the coordinator that is responsible to making sure that access is provided for students with disabilities, or that their needs are being met. It is a university-wide responsibility,” said Beatrice Awoniyi, director and assistant dean for the Student Disability Resource Center at Florida State University.

The study found that campus accessibility is both an infrastructure and instruction issue.