Kalamazoo College Facing Heat Over Campus Accessibility
Kalamazoo College has been receiving some flak from students and others in public for the accessibility of their campus, or more so the lack thereof. Many are upset with the efforts to make the campus accessible and inclusive for handicapped individuals.
The small private campus is nestled into the west side of Kalamazoo and partially intertwined with the campus of Western Michigan University(WMU). There are many hills and walkways to help students navigate campus, but are they user-friendly for everyone?
In a TikTok video, one user(_natalie0703_) walks through the Kalamazoo College campus, recording and taking notes of the buildings and travel paths of campus. She has no problems moving around the Hornets' campus but that wasn't her concern.
@_natalie0703_ ✨Accessibility of Kalamazoo College, of lack thereof✨#fyp #kalamazoocollege #kcollege #kalamazoo #kalamazoomichigan #michigan ♬ original sound - Natalie
In the video above you can read descriptions of the different places on campus whether it just be a simple walkway, a dormitory, or even the library and classroom halls. One of the most concerning factors is that the campus is extremely difficult to navigate for a handicapped individual.
The video shows multiple locations on campus that didn't have the proper means of accessibility for those who are bound to wheelchairs, crutches, or other physical disabilities.
Aspiring Automatic
Many of the buildings on campus failed to have handicapped automatic door openers, meaning everyone would have to pull the door open themselves. Some of the buildings were equipped with these doors that weren't up to par. Many of the automatic doors didn't open or didn't open all the way as that presents a completely different issue.
Super Size
Another one of the problems on campus with accessibility would be the size of many of the things on campus. A lot of the doorways and pathways are not truly handicap accessible. Whether that be having to travel up a large hill, doors not being wide enough, or even just the type of material used for walkways can make it difficult for handicapped persons to move around.
The thing that blows my mind the most is that the elevator isn't quite made for handicapped individuals to use. I'm sorry but the main use for elevators on school campuses is for students, staff, faculty, and visitors with disabilities to use and be accommodated.
The campus overall isn't made to assist and help handicapped individuals whatsoever, well, other than the library which is the only building on campus that is equipped with an effective accessibility plan, but they are still lacking in many other areas and fail to have an exclusive accessibility officer available on campus.