My college library--not terribly accessible

[killing_rose]

I'm in the middle of a gluten reaction. My joints are on fire and walking very far is not only painful, it's just not possible. Unfortunately, I had to return a DVD to our school library and pick up something for a class.

Until my body flips out, I always forget the extent to which our school fails at accessibility. (I never forget that it does fail; it's hard to miss the fact that there are elevators in fewer than six campus buildings, and stairs in all 25.) I just miss some of the nuances. 

But today provided me with an extremely good example: First of all, you have to walk up a flight of stairs to enter the library. The elevator, I am compelled to point out, is inside the library proper; you would have to get the attention of someone upstairs to get access the elevator from the ground floor. Then, to get to to the books you need, you walk up (or down) two to three flights of excessively curving stairs. The elevator is away from the main part of the library because it is for library staff to use.

The rational conclusion for someone with problems climbing these stairs? Use the elevator! Except students aren't allowed to use the elevator. Not unless you have an obvious reason for doing so--and crutches don't count. Let alone, "I'm sorry, but my joints are too inflamed to walk that far." So I clung to the railing and tried very hard not to pitch headfirst down the stairs.

My trip to the library has exhausted my spoons for the foreseeable future. I am not pleased.

Wheelchair update: a rant

[mariness]

So on Monday morning I contacted the sole "wheelchair supplier" authorized by Cigna and ordered a wheelchair, even though as it turns out they do not actually supply wheelchairs; they verify the claims/prescriptions for wheelchairs and then contract a supplier to send the actual wheelchair. I was informed that I would hear from them within 48 hours. I was pretty skeptical.

( And rightfully so. )

Letter sent!

[aedifica]

Thanks everyone for your comments on this post a month ago about the not-entirely-wheelchair-accessible "accessible" bathroom. I finally wrote the letter last week (incorporating the things that were pointed out in comments), let it sit a week so I could look over it with fresh eyes, edited it to be clearer, and I'm sending it today.