What started as one student’s personal frustration has turned into a petition to improve accessibility on Carleton’s entire campus.
Since March 20, first-year student Nathan Bragg has gathered over 500 signatures to petition that housing services create a long-term plan to improve accessibility on campus.
Bragg has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair to get around. He said he has faced several issues in residence this year, including inadequate shower accommodations, broken elevators, and miscommunication with housing services about his needs for next year.
While the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) and housing services have addressed some of Bragg’s personal needs, he said more can be done to improve accessibility for individual students, and on campus as a whole.
David Sterritt, director of housing services, said he is not aware of the problems Bragg has been facing, and hasn’t received any other complaints about accessibility.
“If the student comes to me— and he hasn’t— we’d get the problems fixed,” Sterritt said. “Whether or not we need a petition to understand what the problems are, I’m not sure.”
Bragg said the petition has become about so much more than his individual needs.
Because he has some mobility in his legs and can crawl around if he has to, Bragg said he finds ways to deal with broken elevators and the inadequate shower bench in his dorm room.
For future students who may have more severe disabilities, dealing with those problems may not be possible.
“One thing I know, having experienced a disability my entire life, is that everyone experiences it differently,” Bragg said. “I don’t feel like Housing really understands that.”
As one of the most accessible universities in Canada, Bragg said Carleton seemed like the perfect fit for his needs. He said while many of the services are great, there is more the university should do to live up to its reputation.
Some of Bragg’s ideas include installing accessibility maps around campus so students know how to find accessible seating in their classrooms. Bragg said many of the lecture halls in the new buildings do not have buttons to open the doors, and should also be improved.
“If you’re at this university your disability should not affect your academic potential,” he said. “It doesn’t affect your academic intelligence, and it shouldn’t affect your ability to be part of the community.”
Broken elevators are also a major problem which prevent disabled students from becoming part of that community, he said.
Although all accessible dorms are located on the ground floor of residence buildings, and students can get outside if their elevators are broken, they cannot socialize with friends on other floors, Bragg said.
When it snows, using outdoor ramps is a problem, especially for people like Bragg who use a manual wheelchair. Many people with disabilities are also negatively affected by the cold, he said.
Sterritt said elevators undergo regular maintenance and are dealt with promptly when broken.
On March 27, Bragg said he met with attendant services co-ordinator Matthew Cole.
Cole said the university is in the midst of an accessibility audit of campus, which will address some of the larger issues such as ramps and door buttons.
“The petition hasn’t really changed anything,” said Cole, except that they can address Bragg’s individual concerns.
While there isn’t much they can do to immediately address campus-wide issues, Cole said they will take into account students’ concerns when they make changes in the future.
But Bragg hopes his petition will cause housing to look for proactive solutions before problems occur.
“I know that Housing does care,” Bragg said. “I’d just like to see more communication, more effort, and an acknowledgement of the fact that they know these things are going on and they are actively trying to fix them.”
