Something that happened multiple times this past quarter was that obstacles were appearing all over; they ranged from temporary cars on pathways to new ropes to designate queue lines that had worked previously without the ropes.
There was a loading truck completely blocking the pathway by the Communications building leading from the handicap spots to the handicap accessible entrance, so I had to either wait for the workers to finish and move on their way or go all the way around to the front of the building and then use the elevator; but the tractor that parked in the same spot couple of days later left enough room, so I could access the handicap spots by driving into the parking lot. Now, in both of these situations, if I could have been able to use the same doors as everyone else does to enter the Communications building from the parking lot, these two obstacles would not have been a problem! Around the same time, a work truck parked at the end of the ramp leading out of Miller Hall; fortunately this did not trap me in Miller, but it did greatly inconvenience me. I had to go back inside, and go to the elevate, and then use the elevator to go down a half floor! I totally rather use the ramp because the elevator takes so long; Miller is a five story building with half floors.
A sidewalk leads to the patio that is in front of the main entrance to the Communications Facility building. To the left of the pathway are bushes, and to the right sits the accessible parking. On the patio, a large white truck is parked, blocking the pathway from the accessible parking to the accessible entrance.
A tractor parked on the patio in front of the Communications Facility building, blocking the pathway from the accessible entrance to the accessible parking; this tractor is blocking the same pathway as the loading truck picture, just taken from the other side.
A white work truck is parked at the end of the brick ramp that leads out of Miller Hall, blocking the path to Red Square that is located just beyond the ramp.
The two sets of queues that appeared this past quarter, made Subway and Starbucks inaccessible to me; and made it extremely difficult to travel through Arntzen. I could not fit in the queue line (and neither could any other person using a wheelchair). When asked, the manager explained that her supervisor said it was necessary to have the queue lines, and since people in wheelchairs could not access the lines, they could just cut to the end and make their order there. As a person in a wheelchair, this is not what I want to hear. First of all, I want to be treated just like everyone else; I do not want special access, I want equal access. There is also the fact that others are not so gracious when it comes to someone cutting in line, definitely when they have been waiting for their food for fifteen minutes; I do not like it so much myself! The other problem is, at Subway, it is set up for a person to go through the line, not just order at the cash register. Besides the inaccessible queue lines, the ropes got in the way when traveling through Arntzen. To get to an empty table by Subway, I had to drive through all the occupied tables (which are all closely spaced together). Before (and now), I was able to access an empty table by Subway by passing in-between the right of the line and the left of the pole, but for some reason, the manager's supervisor thought it would be a grand idea to put a queue line there. However, now that the line is back to the way it was, I, and every other person in a wheelchair can order Subway just like anyone else and we do not have to struggle to get to an empty table if it is by Subway!
The queue line right in front of the Subway located in Arntzen. The queue creates a single switchback line which people have filled. To the right of the queue there is a pole, and to the right of that are tables and chairs.
The queue line now (and how it was prior to Spring quarter). The queue runs parallel to the Subway counter leaving a pathway in between the queue and the pole to the right of the photo. A line of people waiting to order has formed.
The queue line at Arntzen Starbucks during Spring quarter stretched out, curved around and stopped in the middle of the walkway (pictured below); this means that there was a black leg with the round stand right smack in the middle of the way; every time I wanted to pass through, I had to ask someone to move the black leg, and every time I had someone move it, I had them place it right next to the one that you can see in the second picture below. This queue line not only made it extremely hard for me to pass through that area, but it also made it difficult for me to stand in line at Starbucks,
The Starbucks queue in Arntzen during Spring quarter. There is a black pole sitting in the middle of the walkway. About sixteen to eighteen inches to the right of the pole is a wall, to the left is a line of people filling the queue. Beyond the pole is a doorway leading out of the area where the Starbucks is located.
The queue line now (and before Spring quarter)at Starbucks in Arntzen.
This picture is taken from the doorway in the previous photo. The pole that designates the location of the line has been slid over away from the wall and out of the pathway that leads to/from the doorway.
After being passed around from the manager to her supervisor and trying to get the queue lines moved back to the way the had been since Arntzen had been remodeled, I decided it was time to contact the Vice-President of the college. After a phone call and pictures had been sent to the Vice-President, the queue lines were reverted back to the way they were prior to Spring Quarter!
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