The UNC Asheville Student Government Association met Sept. 15 with representatives from the Office of Accessibility and the Office of Institutional Integrity and Access to discuss student concerns about campus accessibility and disability accommodations.
“The Office of Academic accessibility, basically is the office that addresses all issues related to discrimination and discriminatory harassment on campus,” Heather Lindkvist, Title IX coordinator, ADA and Section 504 coordinator and Cleriac compliance officer said.
Lindkvist said the office is here to help students have the same opportunities across the board.
“We’re ultimately about protecting civil rights on campus and ensuring that the rights of all members of our community are upheld to the best of our abilities so everyone can fully participate in the education programs, activities and employment opportunities the university offers,” Lindkvist said.
According to Lindkvist, Stephanie Bullock, director of the Office of Accessibility at UNCA is a long time member of the team. Bullock said her office, located in Zagier 120 is open for finding facts and support. ..
“So the role of the office of accessibility is determining students with disabilities and then working with them to figure out which accommodations are necessary for access to their education,” Bullock said.
Bullock said there is a step-by-step process for students to apply for accessibility.
“The general process for students to do is to submit an application online, provide supporting documentation and then meet with me to have a one on one interactive process of determining those accommodations,” Bullock said.
Bullock said there is parking information available for students in the parking manual. She said there is available parking on campus for students with Americans with Disabilities Act plates.
“So there are ADA spaces on campus for students who have UNCA parking permits and ADA plaques. Those students are able to park in any ADA space and if those are filled, then the students with those two permits can also park in faculty staff spots,” Bullock said.
Lindkvist said there are differences between accessibility in high school and college.
“So, in high school, a student is being supported more by the institution, by the school and a lot of resources are put in place for them to manage things and when you get to the college level, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they’re getting their academic accommodations with residential accommodations. Students should have the correct documentation when submitting their accessibility application with the school. So anyone who submits an application, they need to provide medical documentation from the healthcare provider, such as doctors, a counselor, and a psychiatrist who is licensed,” Lindkvist said.
Cameron Vega, transfer senator, said she hears concerns from the student body about accessibility. One concern involves the ramps from Brown Dining Hall and the Woods residence halls.
“Ramps on campus have been causing some issues for people, especially when it gets colder. They tend to get slick, and the turns are really sharp,” Vega said.
Lindkvist said university operations will be made aware of the concerns.
“I’ll certainly convey this to head of operations,” Lindkvist said, “We are all aware of the challenges of navigating ramps and I know that’s not something we can address in the short term but something the university will do,” Lindkvist said.
Lindkvist said campus operations works with students to address accessibility related concerns.
“If you have specific issues related to physical accessibility, that you know, for instance with one of the activators or push buttons not working, please submit something to campus operations. Put ADA priority in the subject line,” Lindkvist said. “I have worked with campus operations to make sure that we’ve got them flagged, so they will be fixed as soon as possible,” Lindkvist said.
Lindkvist said accessibility concerns related to fire drills are addressed online. She said students can request someone meet them on the ground floor during a drill.
“So if you look online for the fire safety under emergency management, it does provide guidelines for everyone on campus about safety planning and if there’s an emergency or to evacuate, which includes information for those who may have permanent or temporary physical mobility concerns,” Lindkvist said, “So the stairwells are constructed so they are fire safe so an individual should go there and wait for assistance. They can call 911, using the safe zone app.”
Marcos Martinez, a student at UNCA, said the school should be accessible whether someone is disabled or not.
“Theres a lot of emphasis on the student needs to pursue getting information for the school. And I also think the general goal in my opinion, should be to make the school more accessible regardless of what documents you provide,” Martinez said.
