UNM student Michael Nieto, who uses a wheelchair, said fenced off areas around construction sites on campus do not cause major difficulties for students with special mobility concerns.
Nieto, a junior in the Communication and Journalism Department, said getting around campus in a wheelchair is not bad at all. He said that signs indicating alternative routes around construction areas are clear and helpful.
What helps him most is planning ahead and finding routes on his own, he said. Classroom arrangements never cause him problems, either, he said, except for large lecture halls, such as those in Woodward Hall, where handicapped seating in the back might make note taking difficult.
Nieto said long, winding pathways to buildings can be inconvenient, such as those leading to the Anderson Schools of Management.
This sentiment was shared by Mario Montoya, another UNM student who uses a wheelchair.
“You can’t just cut across the grass,” he said of getting to class.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Long, circular sidewalks around buildings can slow you down, but not enough to cause any significant trouble getting to class, Montoya said.
He didn’t foresee the construction being a problem, either, he said, as long as loose gravel on pathways is kept under control and pathways are wide enough.
Montoya said that, with ramps and elevators everywhere, UNM is accessible to those with mobility impairments according to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law in effect since 1990.
According to Article 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a related federal law, public institutions must make reasonable accommodations for individuals with mobility impairments. This means providing such individuals with modifications in equipment or devices required by the students for their education.
At UNM, the needs of each student are handled on a case-by-case basis, according to the Student Support Services and Upward Bound Web site. The goal of these programs is to uphold the University’s compliance with the laws, which offer equal educational opportunities and accommodations in all aspects of campus life — from admissions, housing, facilities and course offerings, according to Student Support Services literature. The programs also maintain a Web site that offers information for instructors to address the special needs of students with impairments.
Juan Candelaria, director of the Student Support Services and Upward Bound programs, said the campus complies to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“This campus is a pedestrian campus,” he said. “So there are ramps and elevators in all the right places.”
He added that the University has made a strong effort to inform people of problem areas due to SUB renovation. Those efforts include campus wide e-mails and Web site postings, Candelaria said.
Though it is his job to see that UNM complies with the law, he said that new, innovative programs for handicapped students should not be developed here. Candelaria said that if services are extended beyond what is required by the law, the University might raise expectations of services that might not last if costs are cut.
“I haven’t gotten any complaints from people who’ve had problems getting around campus,” he said.
Still, students like Nieto and Montoya said they never use Student Support Services as a resource for getting around campus.
Montoya said he doesn’t need them.
“I don’t see myself as needing to be recognized as different,” he said, and shrugged.
