The ECU campus in the eyes of a new student with need of a wheelchair…
In general, the Mount Lawley ECU campus is considerate towards those in need of wheelchair access – most of the buildings have elevators, campus maps are at head height for those in a wheelchair, and there are ramps and disabled parking facilities.
The main issues highlighted by our assessment of the campus’s wheelchair accessibility were:
- Students who don’t drive – such as those not permanently in a wheelchair (e.g. broken legs) – would struggle to access the campus from the bus stops, in some cases they would need to take a significant detour in order to cross a major road;
- Elevators are not always well sign-posted or indicated on maps, for example building 13 – this would be particularly alienating and stressful if a student is late for class, starting a new class or has an assessment due;
- Not all building entrances have automatically opening doors;
- Elevators are relatively small, which may necessitate wheelchair-bound students to have to separate from their peers when going between floors.
Shortcomings in campus building accessibility could potentially be alleviated if the requirements of enrolled students were accounted for when classes are scheduled – for example, if a class has a student enrolled who is in a wheelchair, the schedule would designate a ground-level and easily accessible venue for that class.
Design Practices: Identity 