Campus Needs Wheelchair AccessI didn't expect to write this article from first-hand experience, let me tell you that right away. I had planned to write a well-intentioned and probably ineffective opinion piece regarding wheelchair access and Earlham's lack of access, trying to come across as a compassionate and involved person... The article would have started with something like, "Have any of you noticed that we don't have any students in wheelchairs?" I hope I'm still a compassionate and involved person, but the game has become more personal. I am now a student in a wheelchair. This is of course a temporary condition. I fell, breaking my ankle and spraining my wrist, the day before classes started. I'm already healing, and I might even be out and about, chairless, by the time the first semester edition of The Word is published. I know my perspective is therefore that of a generally able-bodied person. Nonetheless, I gained an unusual (for here) perspective on the issue of access. If I were a student in a permanent wheelchair, I wouldn't think about Earlham for more than a minute. My first visit would have been enough to convince me to apply elsewhere. Yes, most of campus is accessible, but only nominally. That is, you can go to many places, but it is quite inconvenient, especially when it rains. My first day in a wheelchair, it rained. A lot. I mean, the umbrella I had while I was being transported to my classes really didn't do much for me. And let's see... I'm on the 19 meal plan, which means I eat breakfast at Saga. Great. My first class is at Runyan! But to get there, I have to leave Runyan Center and head to the back entrance via the circular driveway. This is because there are stairs between Saga and the Fine Arts department. Instead of setting aside two minutes to get from one place to another, I have to think about setting aside 10, not to mention trying to check my mail. There is in fact a wheelchair entrance in the basement of the Runyan Center. More than once I found it locked. The ramp to the other basement entrance is, like many ramps on campus, at a scary incline - meaning I'm afraid I'll fall out of my chair and/or roll too much quickly and slam against the doors. And thank goodness I'm a music student, because if I had taken an applied art course until...... in the middle of the exam......o I would be able to answer the a program's admissions, academic, and technical standards (i.e., all essential non-academic admission criteria) with or without accommodations. For a person to be considered disabled, the disability must “substantially limit” a major life activity. Obviously, the term "substantial" implies something more than trivial or minor, but federal courts have disagreed beyond that point. At least four options exist, as evidenced by recent case law: “compared to most people in the general population”; “compared to an average person with comparable training, skills and abilities”; “compared to the average uninjured student”; and “the disparity between inherent ability and performance.” Source: Journal of Special Education, Winter 2000, vol. 33 Number 4, p248, 10p, 1 graphic Authors: Thomas, Stephen B.%22>