While on the Home Stretch: Final (Winter) Quarter Review

I have officially graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Political Science and Social Studies. On March 21st, I put on my cap and gown and rolled across the stage to shake President Shepard's hand and receive my diploma case. I could barely contain myself as I overflowed with excitement to have finished my time at Western.

This last quarter entailed only having to take three classes, reading and writing pages upon pages, and having the opportunity to sit on both the Disability Council and the newly created Fire Safety Action Plan Council.

I finished off my undergrad at Western by taking three diverse classes that I had the freedom of choosing as I had no requirements left other than to fulfill twelve more credits. All my professors complied with my accommodations and did so without objection. I did not have a large quantity of exams and quizzes to take in the DisAbility Resources for Students (DRS), but every exam was there when I arrived so I did not have to wait before I could start taking my test like I have in previous quarters. I did receive a scribe for every exam, but did not for every quiz; however, each quiz was only five multiple choice questions which I could circle and then have a DRS student employee bubble in my answers for me on the Scantron.

I also had another quarter of amazing notetakers. They were always there, always on time, and even though they all had different styles of note-taking, they all took fabulously detailed and organized notes. One of my notetakers showed her level of integrity when she had to resign from her position as she had received an amazing job opportunity that would interfere with her ability to continue taking notes for me. She explained the situation to me -- in advance-- and then in the following weeks she proceeded to find me a replacement notetaker to finish the quarter, and my notetaker did!

Having basically no glitches in my accommodations allowed me to experience a more typical quarter. I only had to worry about getting to class and doing my school work. I did not have to worry about if I was going to have a terrible note taker or whether they would show up; I did not have to worry about my test not showing up to the DRS or whether a scribe would be available so I could actually complete my test; I could just experience my time as a typical college student without having to fight for my necessary accommodations in order to be successful.

Since I only had three classes and all my accommodations were fulfilled, I had a little extra time on my hands. I was given the opportunity to sit on both the Disability Council and the Fire Safety Action Plan Council. I wanted to sit on the Disability Council for the previous five quarters at Western; however, it just so happened that every time I was invited to sit on the council, it interfered with one of my classes. Never the less, during my last quarter at Western, the times and dates of the Disability Council meetings were based around my schedule so that I could finally attend.

Now that I have sat on the Disability Council, I have a better idea as to why nothing ever gets accomplished with regards to accessibility on campus; there was so much discussion on what could and should be done, but no discussion of how to carry out and accomplish the abundance of ideas; there were even excuses (i.e. not enough funding) as to why things could not be done. The Disability Council did not seem to be professionally structured with an overall goal in mind. Everyone who sits on the Disability Council should have a similar desire of bettering the accessibility of all students, not just to an education, but to a successful education. This means that all students have the ability to access all the same places, have access to all the same classes, and easily access the necessary accommodations to allow the student the most successful experience possible. When an elevator is broken that is necessary for students to get to classes and to professor's offices -- even if it affects just a handful of students -- there should not be a question of whether fixing the elevator should be factored into the budget. If a student cannot access a class or a prof's office, this takes away equal access and an equal opportunity to succeed. This is not welcoming and this is discrimination.

The other committee that I sat on, the Fire Safety Action Plan Council, resulted from an unwelcoming experience. At the end of my final fall quarter, I ended up getting stuck on the sixth floor of Wilson Library with fire alarms wailing and the perception that the building was burning up. The floor warden expressed that she did not know the plan of action for what to do when assisting persons who cannot exit the building in a fire. I had addressed the issue of not being able to exit buildings during a potential fire two years prior and again a year prior, and had been told that there was an access plan that I was welcome to peruse. However, when the floor warden was unaware of the plan, I knew that either the plan had not been distributed and taught to the entire campus or there was not a plan at all; either way, students and employees were and continue to be put in danger. This experience lead to the Fire Safety Action Plan Council. The Vice Provost of the Equal Opportunities Office (EOO), the head of the DRS and I were the only three to sit on this council, but we were able to make great progress in creating not just a fire safety plan, but how to distribute it as well. The disappointing factor about this plan is it never went anywhere; after we had finished brainstorming, a copy was never finalized or distributed. I was told that I would be given a completed typed copy by March 1, but March 1, came and went. Twenty days later, I graduated and have yet to hear or check back.

I was so ready to be finished with my undergraduate degree and so happy that I finally could leave Western never having to return. Up until right before the deadline of signing up to take part in the commencement ceremony, I had no intention of participating, but changed my mind due to my family's hopes of getting to watch me walk across the stage. The commencement process is one that may never be completely "normal" for a person who uses a wheelchair. For one, all disabled students (at least at Western) are given the opportunity to come the day before the ceremony in order to complete a run-through. This first difference results from a difference that has to occur during the ceremony; as a person in a wheelchair, I had to travel a different way than everyone else to arrive at my designated spot as I could not fit between the rows of chairs set up for the graduates. This meant that I could not just follow the person ahead of me when we all entered the venue. Since I could not just follow the leader like everyone else, it was nice to have had the instructions as to which way I needed to go as to not end up embarrassing during the actual ceremony. Even though I knew which way to go and where to sit, I still felt self conscious since I had to leave the line of my fellow graduates and travel solo to my seat; it was obvious that I had been segregated out from my peers as I could not walk with them. I also did not have the chance to sit with anyone that I knew from my department as I had to leave them to get to my designated spot; as they filed in, they did not end up landing in the seats next to me, but elsewhere in the sea of black gowns. After I was handed my diploma case and the commencement ceremony ended, I left the premises with no intention of looking back.

Now that my time at Western has come to an end, I can see that I not only earned an education in Political Science that will help me find a job, but I gained life experiences that have broadened my perspective on people and life. All my trials and triumphs have made me a better advocate for not only for myself, but others as well.  

The photo that my sister took of me and posted to Facebook. It features me smiling while holding my diploma case right under my chin. The diploma case is dark blue with the Western Washington University symbol printed in gold in the center. Under the symbol, the words "Western Washington University" are printed out in gold as well. 

When the Sidewlk Ends: Construction Edition

Well, it is that time of year again: the season of road construction!  Jeff Foxworthy got it right when he expressed, "if you know the seasons to be almost Winter, Winter, still Winter, and road construction, you live in Washington." Bellingham, Washington does not fall short of this stereotypical description; we locals are never disappointed with the abundance of neon workers and the sound of jackhammers spread throughout the city.

The summer has now been in full swing for a while, and is beginning to wind down. However, road construction has been in full swing since the first dry day of the year, and as the summer has gone on, Bellingham has amped up the amount of construction zones that exist across the city. It seems as if more are added before one is complete creating the issue of encountering a construction site every time one ventures out. Downtown, one can even expect to come across three or four construction sites in a single outing.

When a road is upgraded, the sidewalks and curb cutouts have to be brought up to code. This is to ensure that curb cuts are accessible to all pedestrians. The ironic thing that arises during the time of construction is curb cutouts become blocked off or drilled up which makes it impossible for most wheelchair users to exit the sidewalk when needed; missing or blocked off curb cuts could also interfere with a blind person's way of travel.

This inconvenience for most people, can end up putting people with disabilities in danger, or end up forcing them to reroute their path on the spot. I am in no way saying that people with disabilities cannot innovate on their own and overcome the glitch in the sidewalk. However, I am suggesting that others educate themselves and not take away accessibility in the process of trying to improve it.

When road construction occurs in Bellingham, it seems as if a site will be set up, the curb cutouts will be blocked off or drilled up, and then the site will sit there, unoccupied by workers for a week or two. There is also a lack of posting on the sidewalk, so a person may not notice the needed curb cut is unavailable to them until they are approaching it. There is also not an online location to inform what the alternative route to take is before adventuring out; this can lead to a person getting stuck and having to improvise on the spot in order to get to their destination. I know that life is not perfect and I do not mind adventures that require improvising along the way, but time after time, when the only thing that is standing in the way of moving forward is eight inches of concrete can get frustrating.

As a person who does not drive a car, I rely heavily on using my wheelchair to get from place to place; I go on walks throughout Bellingham pretty much everyday. Recently, I have encountered multiple roadblocks in my travels. At the end of W. Holly Street, where it veers into Bay Street, there has been a construction site pretty much all summer. The curb cut out is blocked off with neon orange plastic netting. Never the less, I was impressed to find a makeshift "curb cutout". There is a bright orange board that has been placed up against the curb right before the original curb cutout. I was super excited that someone had the initiative to set up this alternative ramp. This is the first I have in countered and still the only one I have seen. The negative part of the innovation is that the ramp, and therefore where people cross, is not in the typical place which can be shocking to drivers. If a pedestrian pops out into the street where there is not a typical crosswalk, this may cause a driver to panic, which can in turn lead to an accident. Even so, I am grateful for this innovation.  I am curious as to why this makeshift ramp is only at one intersection but not every other one. It is possible that it was set up by a private citizen rather than the city, but looks like it's up to code (the gradient and yellow bumps at end). So, thank you to whomever removed one roadblock from my life as well as others.

Blocked off curb cut at the end of W. Holly. There is a curb cut with the yellow rectangle with the grid of bumps. The curb cut is blocked with an orange, plastic netting fence.

The makeshift curb cut. This curb cut has been constructed out of wood, and painted orange. It has the same yellow rectangle grid of bumps as a typical curb cut. This curb cut sticks out and leads right into the street. To the right of this wooden curb cut are two giant, orange cylindrical cones. Across the street, there is another yellow rectangle grid of bumps that leads to a pathway surrounded by an orange, plastic netting fence. 

Not too far away from the makeshift curb cut, there are many drilled up curb cuts, therefore making them inaccessible. At the trailhead located at the intersection of Ohio and Ellis Street by Bellingham High School, all four of the curb cutouts have been torn out for over a week. When walking down the sidewalk away from Cornwall Avenue on the left side of the street, there is not a sign indicating that the curb cuts are out of commission. This forced me to backtrack and then exit the sidewalk via a driveway in order to cross the street and continue on my way. There is a sign suggesting that the sidewalk is closed on the right side of Ohio Street when walking away from Cornwall Avenue. Even though there is a sign, it is right where the curb cutout is blocked off rather than warning a pedestrian in advance. The sidewalk is also not closed, but rather just the curb cutouts. 

This shows the intersection of Ohio and Ellis. On the right side of the photo sits a white sign that reads, "SIDEWALK CLOSED", in big, black capital letters. On the left side of the photo sits an orange sign that read, "DETOUR", in big, black, capital letters. About the word "DETOUR" is a black symbol of a person. Below the word "Detour" is a big, black arrow that points in the direction people are supposed to go. Right beyond the signs are curb cuts leading to crosswalks. These crosswalks are blocked off with yellow caution tape, and large, orange, cylindrical cones. 

In order for curb cutouts to stay up to date, they do have to be out of commission for a small amount of time. However, in order to keep the amount of accessibility that already exists while improving it, there needs to be some innovations. There needs to be a webpage that allows all people to access the updated information about when and where construction will take place and suggest the best alternative accessible route. If possible, there should also be a makeshift ramp in place of the missing curb cutout; one may not be feasible if the entire side walk is chopped up too.   

People know the ways they can go, as not every route is accessible; if their accessible path is blocked, then there is a wrench thrown into their travel plans. Communication is the key to solving many problems, including this one. People with disabilities need to report when and where there is a roadblock in their path and the city needs to listen and respond to suggestions in order to better the city for all people. The city also needs to inform the public of their plans in order to equal the ability for all people to travel from place to place. It would be amazing to go on a walk without having the sidewalk end.