Syracuse University’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion, over the last year, has completed multiple initiatives that aim to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

The initiatives, recommended by a diversity and inclusion workgroup, included an accessibility audit of the campus and new training for faculty and staff who respond to requests for accommodations.

The council is responsible for implementing initiatives recommended last year by the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion. Council members also advise Chancellor Kent Syverud on issues of diversity and inclusion.

Diane Wiener, director of SU’s Disability Cultural Center, said the university has a long history of advocacy when it comes to disability justice.

SU had the first disability studies program in the world, the first inclusive higher education program and the first disability rights clinic of its kind, Wiener said.

She said the university also established the first disability cultural center run by a full-time administrative director.

“In some respects, it’s a continuation of a long-standing, long-rolling project around disability justice,” Wiener said.

An accessibility audit of the SU campus occurred earlier this year, said Barry Wells, assistant to the chancellor. That audit was completed in the summer of 2016, intending to identify areas on campus with physical barriers to accessibility, according to a workgroup report.

The audit surveyed the entire campus, which totals 9 million square feet. Results of the audit are being reviewed, said Sarah Scalese, vice president of university communications.

In the last year, SU also created a central university fund to pay for accommodations deemed reasonable and necessary under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a law that bars discrimination against people with disabilities in both public and private spaces.

The Office of Disability Services is responsible for coordinating accommodations for students with disabilities, whether those disabilities are physical or cognitive.

More single-user, all-gender bathrooms were installed on campus, Wells added. These “pod” style bathrooms are designed to be compliant with the ADA. SU aims to replace all restroom stalls on campus with single-user restrooms.

In addition, the university provided training to faculty and staff who respond to requests for adjustments, aids and accommodations made by students with disabilities, according to the Council on Diversity and Inclusion’s website.

Published on September 19, 2017 at 10:46 pm

Contact Kennedy: krose100@syr.edu | @KennedyRose001