In a state where one in four adults have a disability, according to the Center for Disease Control , staff at University of Rhode Island are working to increase disability accessibility on campus and in the classroom.
Among the accessibility problems on campus, physical accessibility to bathrooms is the most troubling, said URI Diversity Advocacy Group co-founder Annette Bourbonniere. As a wheelchair user, Bourbonniere has also identified slow or disfunctional door openers.
“They figure if they can measure it with a measured stick, it’s accessible,” Bourbonniere said. “They don’t get that, you know, you need to be able to maneuver a wheelchair.”
The Memorial Union bathrooms aren’t truly accessible, and the elevator frequently needs repair, Bourbonniere said. Students have reported issues with Green Hall, Chafee Social Science Center and Washburn Hall.
The URI community can report issues they see regarding accessibility through the URI Office of Disability, Access and Inclusion’s Google Form. The Disability Advocacy Group also allows students to report issues, which they can then address with the university.
The Disability Advocacy Group is an assembly of both students and staff from the URI community aimed at supporting those with disabilities, according to DAG co-founder Andrew Davies. Support also includes forming friendships within what can often be an isolating community.
“We’re there to guide and mentor,” Davies said. “It’s not easy. Having a disability can be very isolating for people.”
Davies, a professor who is hard of hearing and uses a cochlear implant, said the lack of disability representation on campus led him to feel alone, and hopes the DAG helps alleviate that isolation for others.
“So we really want to make a difference that way,” Davies said. “[Through] Providing mentorship and helping people be seen.”
URI provides academic accommodations for students with disabilities through the Office of Disability, Access and Inclusion. Davies said that obtainin g these accommodations can take a long time due to the number of student applications.
“That’s concerning, because you know students from day one when they walk into a classroom, they need to have their accommodation clearly outlined, clearly articulated to the faculty member so we can support their learning,” Davies said.
Updating teaching practices to be more inclusive of disabilities can ease the need for accommodations, Bourbonniere said. In her own classes, Bourbonniere records all her lectures, uses longer testing windows and uses student feedback to better accessibility.
In one case, to encourage student participation, Bourbonierre said she allowed students to text her answers if they felt they couldn’t get a word into a class discussion.
“I think if we approached it that way, a lot of students would say ‘well, okay, I’m not even going to even have to ask for an accommodation letter, because those things that I need are going to be there,’” Bourbonniere said.
Outside the classroom, Davies is a member of a university task force aimed at identifying and rectifying long-standing accessibility issues. The task force plans to utilize student and faculty experiences to identify issues, whether that be mobility and physical or classroom accessibility, Davies said.
“I’m really, really happy with that movement growing, and I’m hoping for that task force to really help prioritize the problems we have with the budget limited,” Davies said.
Students can reach out for accessibility support at the URI Office of Disability, Access and Inclusion. The DAG holds a monthly coffee hour, and information for their organization can be found on the URI event website .