30 years after Americans with Disability Act, college students with disabilities say law is not enough.
NBC News spoke with over a dozen college students with various disabilities who said that they have faced significant difficulty with accessibility and accommodation beyond just physical barriers, and that this has affected their sense of belonging on campus.
“Am I expected to memorize every single room number and who is in them on the entire campus while my sighted peers can simply look at the sign and know where they are going?” Hermes said. “I’m very grateful that I live in a time period where ADA is a thing. But there's still so much advocacy that needs to be done for students with disabilities, and schools really should be going above and beyond the basic minimum."The university maintains that it is in compliance with ADA.
If you can’t get to your classroom or you don't have an environment that is conducive to learning when you have a disability, it is a huge challenge, according to Beth Myers, a professor of inclusive education at Syracuse University. “The ADA is an important law and it has come far, but there is still much to think about when it comes to true equitable access to a college space,” Myers said.Anna Landre, a junior at Georgetown University, said she spends hours every week on meetings and emails with administrators to push for better accommodation.
“Georgetown is committed to ensuring that our campus is accessible and inclusive. With a 200-year-old campus on hilly terrain, we have faced a number of accessibility challenges over the years, but we are continuing facility enhancements across campus to ensure ADA compliance,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “We have made significant progress expanding accessibility and it remains at the forefront of campus planning for facility improvements and construction.
Over the ADA's 30 years, the definition of disability has evolved, as have the needs of those with disabilities.
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