The University of Maine’s Student Accessibility Services (SAS), which is meant to support students with disabilities, is failing. Not only are they barely meeting the legal accommodation standards, but it also seems as though fixing these services is not an imminent issue for them when it should be. Not to mention, its office is located on the least-accessible part of campus. UMaine is known for its constant renovations and constructions, yet none have recently gone toward improving or adding additional accessibility services in both academic and residence halls for disabled students.
SAS previously had a van service program that shuttled disabled students around the campus, but this was discontinued. Immediately reviving this initiative will make transportation easier for students with disabilities to get to their classes, especially during harsh weather conditions.
The disability community cannot achieve academic success if their needs and accommodations are not met. Without the proper services, such as elevators, ample space in non-single-occupancy restrooms, wheelchair ramps and an increase in accessible-designated parking spaces, students with disabilities may not be able to take required classes if they are held in certain buildings.
South Stevens Hall, an academic hall, does not currently have an elevator. To make matters worse, the only bathrooms are also located in the basement. This is in no way accessible to students with physical disabilities.
Residence Halls such as Cumberland, Gannett and Androscoggin lack sufficient space in their elevators and bathrooms for students who are wheelchair-bound. Aroostook and Kennebec Halls lack wheelchair ramps. Even UMaine’s renowned Harold Alfond Sports Arena’s student section is not wheelchair-friendly.
While clubs and organizations related to the disability community, such as the nonprofit organization Disability on Campus, continuously hold meetings, rallies, fundraisers, bake sales, movie nights and arts and crafts nights to raise money for funding and gain support for this cause, it seems as though the administrations in control of remedying accessibility failures are not listening.
According to UMaine’s Student Accessibility Services, “SAS provides students with reasonable accommodations and services to ensure equal access to education as intended by Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008.”
However, these fundamental needs have not been fulfilled, which I can imagine is frustrating for those students who are legally entitled to have access to it.
Using the excuse of this campus being old is not acceptable because they should have removed these physical barriers years ago. Both UMaine and SAS Administrative intentions to support and protect a student’s on-campus well-being by providing “reasonable accommodations and services” would be more believable if they were more proactive and eager in improving these faults on school grounds that significantly impact the disability community.
