Fourth Estate/Erica Munisar

Mason students with mobility disabilities advocate for a more accessible campus, including fixing broken buttons, unusable ramps and more.

BY BRANDYN FRAGOSA, OPINION EDITOR

According to a petition filed last month on Change.org titled “Petition for Better Disability Access at George Mason University,” Graduate student Sarah Guthery demanded infrastructural changes on campus from Mason to accommodate disabled students and staff. 

“Students at George Mason with disabilities are having to face unnecessary and dangerous barriers when accessing their education daily,” Guthery said in the petition. “These barriers to access around campus are not only dangerous but illegal. This clearly [violates] the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

“We decided to make the petition so our voices would be known, to raise attention that not only are the visibly disabled struggling, but so are those of us who have invisible disabilities and temporary disabilities,” Guthery said in the petition, which currently has 81 signatures as of Jan. 25. 

According to Accessibility @ Mason, “Mason is committed to ensuring individuals with disabilities are provided equivalent access to university campuses.”

However, students with mobility limitations shared that they believe accessibility at Mason has been overlooked.

Guthery has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Stage 4 endometriosis. Each of these conditions has an impact on their ability to move. Guthery said that their conditions, “put immense stress on my body, and I can no longer function like a normal college student.”

Guthery said while they require accommodations from Mason to help them during their time on campus, they express that Mason is not as helpful as they should be.

“Campus as a whole is just too difficult to access,” Guthery shared issues such as “bathroom doors that only pull to open, elevators constantly broken down, bus steps that are too high… and all the broken handicap accessible buttons… So many broken buttons. We also noticed missing bricks in some portions of the sidewalk, making them inaccessible to wheelchair users.”

Mason Student Government Undersecretary for Accessibility Sofie Strompf said that the inaccessible areas around campus affect those with mobility issues as well as everyone within the Mason community. 

“I am an ambulatory mobility aid user, so sometimes I use my forearm crutches or cane… on those days when I do have my hands full and I am using my forearm crutches, it also affects me,” Strompf said.

“The ramp in between Planetary Hall and David King Hall is quite literally a square-style zigzag, and when you’re in a wheelchair, it’s hard to navigate. It’s hard to navigate on a bike, with forearm crutches or anything else.” Strompf said.

Strompf also shared her concern with the Sandy Creek ramp found between Enterprise Hall and Exploratory Hall, claiming that the walkway is not ADA compliant due to the ramp’s slope.

Due to the high slope, students with mobility aids who want to use the ramp are redirected with a sign, containing an elevator symbol and an arrow, to use the elevator instead. The elevator itself has a handicapped symbol and leads to the upper level of Enterprise Hall.

Even though a sign was formally put up, Strompf claims that facilities didn’t know about the problem.

“I’ve also spoken with facilities about this because they weren’t actually aware this was an issue,” Strompf said. “I explained to them that it’s not only an ADA violation, but it also sends a message to those who are mobility impaired, that they are valued in the community as lower because their solution to fixing this ramp was not to level the ramp, but to put a sign up.”

In response to the petition, ADA Coordinator for Accommodations Deputy Rachel Elliot said that there are efforts from several campus organizations working towards addressing these issues and resolving these barriers.

“The concern over the buttons for accessible entrances is something that the ADA Office is aware of and has partnered with Student Government and Facilities to address. Recently, a Night Walk was put on by Student Government in which many campus partners, including the ADA Office, walked campus to test out all of the buttons for the accessible doors on campus. Any malfunctioning buttons were reported to Facilities,” Elliot said.

“While the ADA Office cannot change the topography of campus,” Elliot continued, “we recognize there are particularly inclined areas of campus. In these areas of campus, there are accessible routes available for students to take… the ADA Office is hoping to update and improve the map of these accessible routes and directional signage around campus that details where these routes can be found.”

Elliot suggests that students can contact disability services to determine and receive additional support to aid in their commute on campus. Although the ADA Office is working on concerns with ADA accommodations, Elliot still encourages the campus community to report concerns to their office.

“Even with these proactive measures, it is important for individual experiences of access barriers to be reported so that the ADA Office can ensure awareness of all concerns on campus. If anyone on campus (student, staff, visitor, etc.) encounters a barrier to access, they are able to report that concern to the ADA Office in multiple ways. To report an access barrier, individuals can call the DEI Office (703-993-8730), email the ADA Office (ada@gmu.edu), or fill out the ADA Accessibility Report Form,” Elliot said.

The ADA Office also suggests that anyone who continues to experience access barriers while buttons and doors are in the process of being fixed should contact Facilities or Disability Services to inquire about any support available to them.

Director for the Office of Disability Services Naomi Martinez-Jones said, “Any student can tell a Disability Services staff member if they are experiencing a barrier. Students can also complete the Report the Access Barrier form. When Disability Services is notified of a barrier, we connect with the appropriate office to fix the barrier or have a further conversation on how to make it accessible or more accessible.”

Facilities Manager of Communications & Marketing Ariel Sierra said, “For any maintenance needs on campus, like out-of-order bathrooms and/or door openers, please submit a work order request.”

Despite the resources in place to support students in need of disability accommodations, the Mason community can report inconveniences they encounter while navigating the campus to any of the aforementioned offices, as community feedback initiates efforts for change.

Guthery and Strompf continue their efforts in serving as student advocates for their community. 

With the current efforts in place, Strompf mentions the impact of collective advocacy for change at Mason.

“As long as enough people are working to voice their need for change, to show the need for change, and to amplify the voices of everyone else who feels that there is a need for change, I think that a lot can get done even within a few months, and I’m already seeing some of that change happen, which is reassuring, but there’s always going to be more to do.”