By Emily Salisbury
While Glenville State College is technically compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, there have been several complaints from students with disabilities who are having a hard time getting around campus.
One student who recently found herself on crutches told The Phoenix, “Getting around campus has been hard. I have had to go down steps on my crutches because there is no easy way to access an elevator in some buildings.”
Should the campus be doing more in a timely manner? After several attempts to reach Alecia Martin, head of ADA, she finally responded, “Over the years, many improvements have been made to ensure accessibility across campus. From the addition of elevators in multi-story buildings to creating open walkways. The campus continually evolves to meet the needs of our campus community. Within the past couple of years, sidewalks have been leveled out, ramps have been put in place in some areas, and handicap parking spaces have been added.”
The question now is what can be done to improve the campus to be better accessible to the handicapped students. The anonymous student said, “I’ve noticed places where handrails could be useful and just the library as a building could be improved to get to as a handicapped student.”
Martin said, “I would like to take the opportunity here to create awareness of the accessibility that we currently have on campus. All buildings on campus are accessible to disabled and/or physically injured individuals.”
She also placed a link to a campus accessibility map located on the college’s website, which we will add at the end of the article.
Alecia continued, “I encourage all students who are disabled to meet with me to discuss the best routes for their courses, options to change classrooms, and/or options to accommodate extra travel time to get from place to place on campus. The accessible entryways are not always a convenience for those who are facing mobility issues and needing to get around campus quickly; however, access is available, and accommodations can be discussed based on each individual person.”
Individuals on campus who are need of assisstance should contact Alecia Martin at: alecia.martin@glenville.edu or 304-462-6051.
Martin stated, “an example of future improvement could be a direct access point from the Mollohan Campus Community Center area to the 3rd floor of the library or a sidewalk to provide easier access for individuals.”
Martin also said that people needing easier access to the library can use the shuttle. You may advise the driver upon boarding and will then be dropped off in the parking lot behind the library. When ready to leave, ask the library staff to contact the shuttle driver to let them know that the individual is ready to leave.
Campus Accessibility Map: https://www.glenville.edu/sites/default/files/2019-07/AccessibleEntrances_forweb_020419.pdf
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