The Associated Students of Madison hosted a panel discussion Tuesday with disability advocates who addressed issues facing University of Wisconsin-Madison students who are disabled as part of Diversity Week.
ASM’s Diversity Week is an event which showcases various types of diversity UW-Madison students embody, including diversity in physical abilities, which was the focus of Tuesday’s events.
Disability advocates from the McBurney Center for Disabilities described their experiences living with a disability, including how they have been accommodated at UW-Madison and how their disabilities have impacted their academic and social lives.
Drew Hasley, whose central vision is extremely restricted, said he uses braille, live-streamed lecture slides and a screen that reads text to him.
He said although the university is very flexible in accommodating people with disabilities, it needs to design courses and choose textbooks with accessibility in mind rather than responding to problems as they come up.
“I think there is a lot of reactionary accommodation at a university this size,” Hasley said.
He also said buildings should be designed with accessible entrances instead of adding separate accessible entrances later.
One instance where the university is trying to address these concerns is in the Memorial Union renovation.
Wendy von Below, the Memorial Union renovation project manager, said accessibility was a key component in the Memorial Union construction.
She said they are trying to integrate “universal accessibility” into the building to make it more accessible for students who are disabled and students who are temporarily injured, as well as other individuals with specific needs, such as mothers with strollers.
Hasley said students who are disabled could also benefit from more guidance on campus, particularly in academic buildings.
He said it is difficult to navigate inside university buildings, and the university does not provide maps or guides. He recommended the university create a database describing each building’s room numbering system.
Navigation concerns can also deter students who have disabilities from attending social events, according to Hasley.
Rachel Huard, who is recovering from a traumatic brain injury, agreed with Hasley, describing how she struggled to find her way around campus when she first arrived, causing her to feel isolated.
“I was out of sync with the rest of the university,” Huard said.
