Project Description: For my final project, I wanted to focus on accessibility on campus at UM. Over the semester, I have seen how big of a difference accessibility can make in fostering inclusive environments and a sense of community. While my project focuses mostly on the physical accessibility of campus buildings, I did want to touch on how technology can affect virtual accessibility as well. I used a podcast because I felt most comfortable exploring this topic through an audio format and also felt that it would help it reach a wider audience. Some of the buildings on campus that I explored included the UMMA, the School for the Environment building, Haven Hall, the chemistry building, as well as campus buses. I felt that exploring multiple buildings would help achieve a wider scope of how accessible looks across campus and also help us understand what improvements can be made in the future.
Images and Image Description: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19l3KZK9acobnqphgm_rAE242jlPiI49cxoBlINECv1s/edit
PODCAST:
Transcripts:
Transcription for Podcast: Hi! Today for my final project I’ll be doing a podcast on accessibility on campus here at the University Michigan and how it can be improved through the use of various technologies that we have learned about this semester. Additionally I want to touch on why accessibility on campus is so important in order to create an inclusive environment for all students and visitors to our campus. To begin, I defined accessibility as the quality of being easy to access and use and also be understood within this context.
Additionally, for me, inclusivity means the action of being considered and included within a group or structural organization.
When I began this project I started with the UMMA which is the University of Michigan’s Museum of Art. It is a building on central campus that is iconic and has many student organizations, faculty classroom visits, and also many guests and visitors visit.
During the course of the semester we did a couple visits to different areas on campus to look at the accessibility of these structures and how they could be made more inclusive to students and visitors with disabilities. For one of these projects my group took a GoPro to the UMMA and recorded some footage where we noticed that accessibility to the building was lacking and could be improved.
One of the main areas we noticed lacked appropriate accessibility for those with disabilities was the main emergency exit
At this exit there are only stairs and no ramp. Additionally, I did not see any button or automation that would allow the door to be opened virtually for someone who cannot physically open it themselves.
Additionally, at the main entrance there is a button for those with disabilities to press in order for them to open the door automatically however this button was damaged and under construction additionally I noticed later on that not only was it under construction for that day that we film with the GoPro’s but it was under construction for almost 2 weeks considering these things really made me take a better look at campus as a whole and also notice how many of the buildings on campus in addition to the UMMA such as Mason Hall the School for the Environment, and the chemistry building block appropriate accessibility options.
However, going back to the UMMA I was really intrigued with how accessible it would be inside the building. For this I decided to tour the inside of the building and luckily I noticed accessibility options within the building were much greater than they were on the outside. I know that the elevators were easy to use and other works as well restrooms on each floor and there is also large identifiable signage within the galleries in order to direct users to these facilities within the building.
Additionally, I was also excited to learn that the UMMA has a website where users can visit the galleries virtually in case they are not able to come in person or have a physical disability that would limit them from doing so.
However, when I did these virtual tours and field trips as they are called on the website, I noticed that there is much to be desired, specifically, these videos are conducted using YouTube which can be an unreliable access source for some.
Additionally, I noticed that you do not get a tour of the galleries as though you were there in person and instead it is a video featuring one of the scholars at the museum taking a look at different aspects of the art the University of Michigan Museum of Art has and show me a picture of it and also explaining it I noticed that wall these videos are good start including an accessible option for those who cannot visit the space physically it would be nice to have a more interactive accessible video tour that would allow those individuals who cannot come in person to really get a feel for what these beautiful galleries are like in person and be able to access them at their own pace and click on different icons in different parts of the gallery in order to learn more about the pieces of art work there.
Additionally, going back to the physical accessibility of the space I noticed that the UMMA also has a café which is a nice touch for visitors to be able to use during their trip to the UMMA.
However, I know that this café is very small and often crowded. Additionally, the entrance on the entry door is very small and I wondered if it would be properly accessible for those who utilize wheelchairs. I think that considering aspects of accessibility like this is important for the University to consider especially in the wake of the new DEI 2.0 plan, which largely focuses on inclusivity and building physical spaces on campus that foster inclusivity and group learning dynamics.
One aspect of this aspect is the café could be improved by providing larger exits and also more automation tools for those with disabilities to use to enter and properly access the facilities.
My project started with the UMMA because of one of the activities we did in class. The UMMA inspired me to take a look at other campus buildings we have looked at throughout the semester. I have learned that there are many things to be desired on campus as far as building more inclusive and accessible spaces.
The next building I wanted to take a look at was Mason Hall. I want to consider Mason Hall because it is connected to Angell Hall and Haven Hall as well, and these buildings combined host a majority of the classrooms that many students visit on a daily basis during the time of the University of Michigan. Additionally in my opinion, Mason hall is one of the least inclusive and accessible campus buildings, due to the fact that it is older and is much smaller and the entries and exits and also the elevators and stairways are older and much more difficult to use.
One of the main accessibility issues I noticed with Mason Hall was the elevators. There is only one set of elevators located on each floor and these elevators are used by numerous students during the day. Additionally these elevators are much smaller than the newer elevators that you would find in other buildings on campus such as the CCCB. Furthermore when I was waiting at the elevator I noticed that it took almost a minute and a half to 2 minutes for the elevator to go from the ground floor up to the top floor and back down. This makes accessibility difficult for those with physical disabilities if you cannot use the stairwells, because it means that it takes longer to get to classes and they may be late. Additionally, it is also difficult to access the elevators because many other students are using them as well, and because they are so small in size it means that fitting a wheelchair in these elevators especially with other students needing to use them as well can make accessibility more difficult.
Given that Mason hall is always so busy one of the main things I suggest the University do in order to make Mason Hall more accessible for those with disabilities, is by putting in more elevators and also updating the elevator system so it is newer and faster and also larger. This would provide proper accessibility to those with wheelchairs who need to access the elevators.
Additionally the stairwells are also older and many students think are difficult to use and also get overcrowded. This provides a safety hazard for everyone, not only those with physical disabilities. Additionally I noticed that there is a basement in Mason Hall that some students need to access for a variety of resources. However, I noticed that the elevators that are available to most students do not go down to the bottom floor. The stairwell would not be accessible to those with physical disabilities; this made me wonder how the students to be able to access the ground floors and I think that this also led me to let me to believe that there needs to be more signs within Mason Hall directing those with physical disabilities to where they can locate additional accessible entryways to all floors in the building and also to where the elevators are in order to better navigate the building.
Finally, there were two other aspects of accessibility within Mason Hall that I noticed the University could improve in order to make the University of Michigan campus more inclusive to those with disabilities. The first is the entryways and the doorways to all the entryways in Mason Hall are very small and dated. This means that they are difficult to open and also given that they’re so small could be difficult to access for those who are in wheelchairs.
Additionally, I also noticed that in the classrooms the desks provided are very small and there are no group learning tables with chairs that can be pulled out in order for those who might use a wheelchair to be able to easily sit and access a proper learning space and desk where they can write and do their work. Not only is this true of desks from Mason Hall, but for the majority of buildings on the University of Michigan campus as most of the buildings seem to use the same style of desk where the chair and table are connected and that they are very small. This means there are limited options for accessibility for those who cannot use this type of desk and seating arrangement.
As I continue to tour campus looking at ways to improve the accessibility of campus buildings, the next building I noticed that could be improved is the chemistry building. While the entrances to the chemistry building are much larger than those to Mason Hall or to the UMMA,I noticed that some of them only have stairway entrances and additionally the sign showing you to accessible entrances is small and hidden. I feel that this is hard for those with a disability because it makes it difficult for those with physical disabilities to access these places where they can get into the building and it can be time-consuming for them to finally access facilities on campus.
Additionally, after I went inside the building, I know that this building also has older elevators that are difficult to access for those with physical disabilities and especially if they are also overcrowded. Additionally, I noticed that the main way to enter the labs in the bottom floor of the chemistry building is through a large staircase that is in the middle of the building. The staircase is often crowded and it would not be accessible to those with physical disabilities. Furthermore, the layout of the building is somewhat confusing and also centers around lots of small corridors leading to different classrooms.
Because the layout of this building is more complex there are limited options to get down to lower floors in the building. I feel this building could be much improved in terms of accessibility by providing better signage showing those with physical disabilities who cannot use stairwells how to access different classroom facilities throughout the building. Additionally, I think that it would be nice to have more elevators in the building and also a more straightforward layout in order for those with disabilities to be able to access classrooms easily.
Finally, the last main building on campus that I noticed lacks accessibility is the building that houses the School for the Environment. The main issue with this building is that I noticed the entry and exit ways on both sides of the building use a large staircase in the center of the building. This is an issue because at no place within the building did I see an accessible option for entering the building through the use of an elevator or a ramp that enters the building.
While I was not able to enter the building to see what the inside of the facilities look like in terms of accessibility, I do think this is a major issue for the building because it means that those who are graduate students for the School of the Environment cannot properly access all the facilities that are available to them and it makes the campus environment less inclusive for those physical disabilities. Additionally, I feel that this obstacle to accessibility to this particular building would be relatively simple for the University to fix by adding a ramp to the main entry way on the front side of the building so those with disabilities can easily and efficiently access the building.
Additionally, given that there’s extra space outside the front of the building near the center of campus I feel that adding this ramp would be relatively easy to do and would not obstruct any other aspects of the building or buildings around in terms of space and entry.
Additionally, adding a button to automate the doors that open these buildings could also help with this because those with physical disabilities could enter independently in order for them to easily access the building without any assistance.
Finally, one of the last major obstacles to accessibility on campus that I noticed was the University of Michigan’s bus system. The bus system is vital to allowing and ensuring that all students are able to commute to and from different campus buildings efficiently for their classes and for other opportunities that may be available to them on campus. One of the major issues with the bus system that I noticed was that there are no ramps that would lead from where you wait for the buses to where you enter and exit the buses, and additionally there’s quite a large step that you have to take when entering the buses. I did not see how one with a disability would be able to effectively enter the bus system because I did not see any type of ramp or automation that would allow for the step to be lowered in order for someone with a wheelchair or other physical disabilities to be able to access the bus system. I wondered if there are additional alternatives for those with disabilities to use on campus in order to access all the classes at campus buildings on North and Central campus, however when I researched this online I did not find an alternative form of transportation.
Overall, while the University of Michigan campus does attempt to be an accessible place for those with physical disabilities, I believe that much can be done in order to make many buildings and resources on campus more accessible and inclusive of those with physical disabilities. This especially pertains to older buildings on campus like Mason Hall, the chemistry building, School for the Environment building, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Some of the newer buildings like the CCCB, and the School of Kinesiology do a better job of being accessible by providing faster and larger elevators as well as more elevators available to use in the building. They also have more easily accessible ramps that are much more visible in and outside of the building and also have additional signs that directs those with disabilities to where they can find accessible entrances and exits as well as accessible ways to utilize classroom spaces. I think that one of the main thing is the University of Michigan should focus on going forward instead of building new buildings on campus is renovating older buildings to ensure the level of accessibility is equal and accessible throughout all campus buildings
Finally, the last thing I believe the University of Michigan could improve is its accessibility options that are virtual accessible. Many organizations and facilities offer, for instance, websites, virtual tours, and social media to attempt to provide a virtual visit option for those who cannot visit the space in person. However, with the UMMA, there was much that could’ve been desired in terms of these videos and I feel that making the more realistic and allowing want to participate on their own time and interact and deeper level with the galleries in virtual setting they provide a more meaningful accessibility experience for those who cannot visit the site in person.
One way to do that would be to ensure that the transcription process and close captioning on these videos is more authentic and it’s easier to read and access. Additionally, I think that the social media pages and online website of many campus organizations and academic departments could also do more in the way of providing audio transcription and better visual descriptions of images on the websites in order to maintain that they are inclusive and accessible to those with disabilities who cannot see or properly hear the videos and information that is provided on these sites.
Overall, I believe that if the University of Michigan focuses on improving in renovating older buildings to ensure that they maintain equal level of accessibility to those newer buildings that would do a better job of being physically inclusive and accessible for those with physical disabilities as well as making a shift also focusing on offering more virtual resources to those who cannot participate in person and making sure that these online resources of appropriate audio and visual aids as well as ensuring that they are accessible and that many people know about them is a start to making the campus environment more accessible to people with disabilities. Additionally, I believe that making the campus environment more accessible also helps foster better community and inclusivity on campus, because it will mean that all students have a meaningful experience and can participate and utilize all the great resources the University of Michigan has to offer.
