People in wheelchairs face many difficulties when it comes to transportation. Luckily, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 makes obtaining an education possible for people in wheelchairs.

Jamestown College may seem behind in regards to handicap accessibility, but a person with a handicap has the ability to obtain a degree here as well as any other person. It is the college’s responsibility to accommodate the student. For example, if someone wanted to take a math class in Orlady and couldn’t get to the room because of the lack of elevator, the college would have to move the class to a handicap accessible building.

If someone in a wheelchair wished to attend here, it is possible for him to live on campus and go to all classes. Although most of the residence halls have no handicap-accessible features, Prentice Hall has two fully accessible rooms for students in wheelchairs. Mark Koepke, director of the physical plant, said the campus is up to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This act is a set of laws that outlines the rights and rules regarding people with disabilities. It restricts any business from discriminating against people with disabilities. It also requires businesses to make certain accommodations so people with disabilities can access most buildings.

While the campus is legally sufficiently handicap-accessible, many people on campus feel improvements could be made. Lyngstad, Nafus Student Center and Taber all have elevators, but Orlady is completely inaccessible to someone in a wheelchair, which would present a problem as it is the only building suitable for labs. Residence halls like Watson have no elevators, so a student in a wheelchair would be restricted to one floor.

In addition to the problem with stairs, none of the buildings on campus have buttons to open the doors. This is not required by law, but some may find the door in the Foss or Nafus Student Center difficult to open in a wheelchair.

“I think the school would be able to be more well-rounded if it had more diversity, including that of handicapped people,” student Shelley Zimmerman said.

-- Cori Zimmer