ADDRESSING ACCESSIBILITY CONCERNS AT MT. HOOD

 

In discussions about inclusion, people with disabilities are often forgotten, despite accessibility being something that affects people of all minority groups.

Think about the last time you saw someone address the various forms of discrimination: They probably listed things such as racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, ageism, classism – but did you see the word ableism?

Ableism is discrimination and prejudice against people with disabilities. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, nearly 1 in 5 people have a disability. But, despite the landmark, federal Americans with Disabilities Act being signed in 1990, there is still a lot of work to be done nationwide and even right here at Mt. Hood Community College.

That’s why MHCC’s Accessible Education Services (AES) director, Dave Pontious, has put together an accessibility task force, inspired by a disabled student who needed automatic doors to be installed for increased access to the Visual Arts Theatre and Gallery at the Gresham campus.

The student wanted to work with AES and the Associated Student Government to raise money for the power doors. But Pontious said he’d much rather find funding within the Facilities department budget than have the student exert valuable time and energy on something the college itself should handle.

The situation motivated Pontious to gather a group of passionate people from around campus to identify, and prioritize, accessibility issues that need fixing.

NEW AND IMPROVED

The 2018-19 school year began with Accessible Education Services getting a new name. Deciding the former Disability Services Office just wasn’t inclusive enough, Mt. Hood became the fifth of 17 community colleges in Oregon to make the change.

“Whether it’s a visual disability or a hidden disability, we just feel like (the name) is more inclusive. I’m happy to be ahead of the curve,” said Pontious.

AES serves people with disabilities such as physical, vision, hearing, mental health, learning, and attention-related issues. It also recognizes those students with other health impacts –people who may not identify as disabled but who experience concussions, broken bones, cancer, or anything else health-related that interferes with their learning experience.

There is a new syllabi statement about AES with more inclusive language about the accommodation process. Accommodations offered to eligible students include extended time on tests, a private room for tests, and permission to record lectures, but overall, they vary based on the needs of the individual.

There are more new things that AES does now. Rachel Falk is a new faculty counselor on campus, with a history of working with people with disabilities, so she can help provide more specific career counseling for disabled students, based on their capabilities and interests.

One more vital thing being offered now is financial help with disability assessments, which are crucial.

“There are students out there who have struggled in school in the past before they came to Mt. Hood, and they know something is going on, but they don’t know what it is,” explained Pontious. “We are now working on providing financial assistance to help people get assessments done.”

Having professional documentation is almost always a requirement to get accommodations at school and in the workplace. And getting an assessment done would mean students would understand more about themselves and be able to better advocate for their needs in continuing their education and in finding employment.

It’s also important to note that AES doesn’t serve students just on the Gresham campus, but is also responsible for accommodations at the Maywood Park and Bruning Center satellite campuses. In addition, AES oversees accessibility for all public or student events, whether they take place in the College Theatre, the stadium, the aquatic center, or anywhere else on campus.

MAKING A PLAN

Many issues are on the minds of the accessibility task force; the most widespread is a lack of automatic doors. Other issues include ramps that are not ADA-compliant because they’re too steep; inadequate lighting on campus; lack of available maps that show accessible pathways; lack of accessible restrooms; and gaining entrance to the College Theatre – a real hassle, to say the least.

In December, Pontious led a presentation about ableism at the Winter staff/faculty in-service event. He showed those who joined him what it’s like for a wheelchair user to enter the College Theatre, from buying a ticket to actually getting to the accessible seating.

Disabled folks would start at the Theatre entrance, then go all the way to the elevator by the Library, go down to the Main Level, enter through the Studio Theatre (which doesn’t have an automatic door), and wind back through a hallway to get to the College Theatre seating.

“From a psycho-social aspect of disability and from culture, if you look at history, we can’t continue to send messages to individuals that you get to come in the back door, which is exactly what is happening with the College Theatre,” said Pontious.

With the help of the new task force, “By the end of this year, I’m totally confident that I’m going to present a prioritization plan for what we need to tackle on projects across campus,” Pontious said. “It’s going to be awesome.”

Looking at impact will be key for this plan. The stadium serves the wider Gresham community, but its bleachers aren’t accessible. Testing Services is one of the first places a new student visits when coming to MHCC, but lacks an automatic door.

Pontious said he is looking at prioritizing improvements “through the lens of the task force (in that) ‘yes, I need every classroom accessible, but if I have a choice, I’m going to pick the higher-impact issues.’ ”

“If we could start thinking about (accessibility) and talking more about it, then people start picking up and noticing it when they’re doing activities in their daily lives,” said Pontious.

The accessibility task force has a lot of work ahead, but as Pontious said, “We are rich in opportunity.”

Have any thoughts or questions about accessibility at MHCC? Email Accessible Education Services, at [email protected].