Have you noticed that Blackburn’s campus is not very handicap accessible? Anyone with a physical handicap, especially those where they need assistance with walking, would have trouble with getting to many places around campus.
Many of the dorms have concrete stairs leading up to the building, or stairs inside the building before the first floor. There are two dorms that have a clear path to the first floor with no stairs, and those are Graham, North (Challacombe) and Jewell. All of these dorms are air conditioned, so that already poses the question of “what if the student cannot afford an air conditioned dorm?”
No non-air conditioned dorm is handicap accessible in any way, shape or form. The two non-air conditioned dorms are Stoddard and Butler. They both have stairs as soon as you open any door to get into the dorm.
We should also take into account that students may temporarily need crutches or some form of assistance for an injury. If they live in any dorm other than Graham or the first floor of North or Jewell, then they will have some amount of stairs to climb. It is not practical to have them move dorms for something temporary, so what are they supposed to do? We should find a way to make most, if not all buildings on campus more accessible to those that need it.
The ramps around Lumpkin and Hudson could be wider to accomodate wheelchairs more comfortably.
If the student can afford to live in Graham or North, then everything is fine for their living situation, but what about the school buildings? Most buildings are actually fairly accessible, however there could still be improvements. Such as making the ramp leading to the library a little wider, and classrooms having enough room to accommodate people with wheelchairs or any walking assistant.
There are also no automatic doors on campus at all. Automatic doors are essential for individuals with physical disabilities and an overall good idea for Blackburn to invest in.
Blackburn needs to do better about recognizing these struggles and creating a more accessible campus. It is completely ridiculous that people with handicaps cannot get into or out of buildings around campus without struggling or relying heavily on other people’s assistance.