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Handicap accessibility is an issue everywhere people go and the University of Maine is no exception. Although about half of the buildings on campus are handicap accessible, there are still obstacles for students and visitors in wheelchairs.
Thomas Bennett, a fourth-year economics major who is in a wheelchair, said that getting around campus is not so bad until the winter weather starts. Bennett has also gained a knack for trying to find shortcuts throughout campus that could make his day easier.
“You’ll find that the shortest distance between two points is never the most direct route,” he said. “You can’t cut across the grass and things like that.”
Ian Czupryna-Ersek, a fourth-year new media major and student Web developer, has noticed the problem with handicap accessibility for a long time, but was recently reminded of it.
Czupryna-Ersek saw a woman in a wheelchair trying to get into Memorial Union for an event after the Marketplace had closed. The Marketplace ramp is one of the few ways that handicapped students and visitors can get into the dining area at the Union. He recognized this and realized that things have to change.
Czupryna-Ersek knows what it is like to be in that situation. He was once on crutches after injuring his leg, and he noted that it was significantly more difficult to get around campus.
“It’s a pain to get around, even if you’re not handicapped – if you’re just injured,” he said.
Bennett complimented a lot of the university’s programs, like the helping-hand van, which is to help permanently or temporarily handicapped students get to class. His only problem with the program is that the van runs from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
“We all know that everyone’s in bed by 4:30,” he said regarding the van’s hours.
Bennett chose to go to UMaine fully aware that the winter conditions were rough for the handicapped. Although he was accepted at places in the South where he would not have to put up with winter conditions, he said he chose UMaine because the people were generally nicer.
“Of the 10,000 students that go here, only two of them have outright refused to give me any help whatsoever,” Bennett said.
During the winter, Bennett activates the “Tom Relay Team,” which he described as “basically hitchhiking around campus.” People will help Bennett until his aides are no longer going in his direction, then he finds someone else who is willing to help him. Bennett also noticed that many students, who are walking in the opposite direction, will stop, turn around and help him out just the same.
“That’s the kind of spirit of helpfulness and generosity that I find very attractive on this campus,” he said.
Bennett is currently trying to work on an estimate of budgeting to make all residence halls on campus accessible. He believes that it’s crucial for all residence halls to be handicap accessible to maintain friendships with people and to strengthen the university’s sense of community.
“Once we know how much money it will take to make all the dorms accessible, then we can raise that amount of money, and then if we give the university that money, then there’s no way they can say that they don’t have the money to do it,” Bennett said.
Czupryna-Ersek has the same thoughts as Bennett.
“When you look at the list of buildings that are handicap accessible, it’s amazing how many aren’t on there,” Czupryna-Ersek said.
He believes that every building needs to be handicap accessible and that they need to have elevators and grant easy wheelchair access to the first floor.
Along with Bennett’s project, he is also working on designing and creating a map that will not only show the main route, but also ulterior paths for handicapped people.
“The main route will get you certain places, but there are always those detours . and the route that I took to class in the fall, if I’m going to the same classroom, will be different in the spring than it was in the fall,” he said.
Czupryna-Ersek summed his beliefs up.
“I think it’s a problem. There are budget issues, but it’s something that has to be done. It’s a catch-22,” he said.
Bennett stressed that he believes the university is doing all that it can, but it just so happens that the weather is as big of a factor as anything else, and it cannot be prevented.
Bennett remains in high spirits, even though the buildings and facilities often present a challenge for him.
“It’s the people that make the difference, and as long as the people are willing to make the difference in helping you out, then any place can be made accessible,” Bennett said.
Bangor Daily News