The Eighth Floor

[autymn]

I work as a Physical Disabilities Specialist at a rather well known university which for my and my employers protection will remain namiless. Myself, I am blind and have neurological disabilities that result in fun things happening with the use of elevators (weeeeeee!) I also work with a service dog. Someone in university administration thought it brilliant to place our department on the eighth floor on the periphery of campus! This either means multiple trips up and down seven flights of stairs for me a day - something that is very taxing on my body/CNS or multiple rides on the elevator that causes its own set of issues. Oh, and of the three elevators, we're lucky if two are working.

And need i even mention the problem being on the eighth floor raises for the students I serve who use wheelchairs, crutches, or other mobility devices?!

Supposedly "they" have been working to get our department moved for "some time." Whatever that means.

Comments

I can beat it

[roserodent]

I can do better. One disabled students' office I have been to had the entrance door to the building set into the first floor, elevator inside, but not outside. They can let you in through a locked side door once you have gone up the stairs to let them know you want to get in.

Better is that to get a key to open the disabled access door on a campus building that is to date still waiting for a student swipecard point to be fitted 7 years after I asked for it, you have to go to the servitors' office and ask. The office is located ON a staircase, it's on the turn of a staircase opposte the elevator, and is the only room on campus which cannot in any way be accessed by step-free access regardless of which keys, swipecards and PIN codes you have.