Let's go the extra mile for wheelchair accessibility

All buildings on any college campus should be handicapped accessible. Unfortunately, some of the buildings on Winston-Salem State's campus are not.

Too often, I see students in wheelchairs on our campus struggling to open doors and get into buildings. For example, Carolina Hall has a wheelchair ramp but the door is not automatic. So once a person in a wheelchair gets to the door, they have to struggle to open it. WSSU, we have to do better. The handicapped accessible door located at the back of the building facing the Old Maintenance Building is often locked. Students must go around the building and through another door because some- one forgets to unlock the door. WSSU, we have to do better.

The Thompson Center is the main building on campus and it is a highly visited building. The doors to the main entrance should be 100 percent wheelchair accessible but they are not. There is a wheelchair ramp at the back of Thompson that leads to the ground floor and the elevators. If someone in a wheel- chair visits our school and doesn't know about that entrance on the ground floor, should he or she have to struggle to enter. WSSU, we have to do better. The main doors to Thompson are already heavy

for a person without a disability. Imagine how difficult it may be for a person with a disability. WSSU, we have to do better.

To exit the cafeteria one must go out a turnstile. How are people in wheelchairs supposed to exit the cafeteria? If the front door lines are short, they can exit from the front entrance. If the lines are long at the front door, they have to use the doors that lead outside. WSSU, we have to do better.

Wilson Hall is not fully wheelchair accessible, but has handicapped accessible rooms. The doors do not automatically open when a student swipes their Ram Card. All the dorms on our campus should have automatic handicapped accessible doors. To my knowledge, Rams Commons has wheelchair accessible doors. WSSU, we have to do better.

The Old Maintenance Building, the workplace of campus police, was recently renovated. According to the Campuses of UNC Accessibility, all newly built build- ings and renovations must meet the N.C. requirement for handicapped accessibility. The entrances of the Old Maintenance Building are handicapped accessible but there are no handicapped accessible signs posted outside of the entrances. WSSU, we have to do better.

Our campus should not just meet the minimum requirements for disability mobility. UNC Accessibility scores tally the University at 75 percent handicapped accessible. Why not go the extra mile and make it 100 percent to make campus life enjoyable and comfortable for those on our campus who use wheelchairs. WSSU, we have to do better. Make sure you pick up the next issue of The News Argus on Feb. 26, like us on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter @WeHave2DoBetter.