CCBC Dundalk Students Study Campus Accessibility

When Nicole Fincham and Imani Graham would take a walk around CCBC Dundalk during the summer, it was more than a leisurely stroll to enjoy the campus gardens and fountains. It was usually a working walk, observing and evaluating a myriad of accessibility issues for disabled individuals. Both Fincham and Graham are visually impaired, and Graham is short-statured, standing three feet, three inches tall.

These CCBC students were given free access to all campus buildings and rooms as part of a six-week project to look at what works - and what could work better - for students as well as faculty, staff and campus guests.

"Many issues can be addressed by just a little 'tweaking,'" said Fincham, a 22-year-old student pursuing an associate's degree in Health and Fitness Studies. "Simply adjusting the sensitivity of a door sensor, or installing a room number sign next to instead of above a door can make a great difference to a disabled person," she said.

Fincham described wheelchair accessibility on campus, for example, as generally very good, "but accommodations for people with other disabilities are sometimes lacking," she added.

Graham concurs. As a self-described "little person," this 20-year-old Musical Theatre major (at CCBC Essex) often encounters obstacles not readily apparent to individuals of average height. "Building and ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] codes often require signs, switches, handles, etc. to be no higher than 54 inches," she explained. "For someone like me, an elevator button at that height is unreachable. Even automatic door sensors are not usually activated by someone of my height - I often have to wait for someone else to go through the door with me in order to trip the sensor."

CCBC Dundalk's openness to this type of student evaluation and input is a prime example of the LearningFirst philosophy in action. "This is about CCBC being proactive in terms of making things better for students and others who come to our campus," said Clarence Allen, a work-study student in the Center for Academic, Career and Life Planning, and supervisor of the evaluation project. "Nicole and Imani were given free reign to go anywhere on campus," Allen said. "This is their home. They're the experts, the people best qualified to tell us what works, and what could work better."

Fincham, Graham and several other disabled students assisting with the project worked closely with CCBC Dundalk Plant Operations staff to determine cost estimates and priority rankings for the issues raised. In the process of helping CCBC staff become better informed about accessibility issues, the students gained quite an education in the budget and resource allocation process. "Students don't always realize how much things cost, where the money needs to come from, and that some projects might have to take precedence over others," said Allen. "Nicole and Imani do now."

After completing the site survey, Fincham and Graham wrote a detailed summary for presentation to campus leaders in July. To accompany the written report, Fincham and Graham also produced a videotape illustrating a number of accessibility issues to be addressed.

"These students did a thorough, thoughtful, professional-caliber assessment of campus accessibility issues," said Barney Wilson, dean of Learning Support and Student Services. "In fact, some of the issues they pinpointed will be resolved with the completion of a number of current facilities projects," he explained. New campus-wide signage and the recent renovation of the Records and Registration student service area are two such endeavors.