By
Mindy Jones
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Officials advocate equal opportunity, define 'gray areas'
While the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to decide whether individuals can sue state institutions - including public universities - about disibility accommodations, officials at the UA said the university is taking a proactive approach.
The Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires reasonable accommodations for students and employees with physical and mental disabilities, was introduced in 1990 and has undergone multiple additions and adaptations.
Susan Free, the University of Arizona's ADA officer, is responsible for assisting UA departments in complying with the rules and regulations defined in the act.
"Our responsibility is not to discriminate or treat people poorly based on their disabilities," she said. "We are also required to provide accommodations so that the students, faculty, staff and visitors of the university can fully participate in all university related activities."
Accommodations include access to physically and mentally handicapped patrons of university bus systems, residence halls and academic courses, Free said.
The UA is also required to check all blueprints of new buildings for handicapped accommodations and ensure that current construction sites do not block ramps and other wheelchair-accessible entrances and pathways.
Although the ADA is achieving its goals, Free said, there have been many obstacles placed in the way of its progress.
"Right now, it looks like the University of Arizona is doing a good job of addressing these issues," she said. "But there are significant barriers in the way, similar to those that people of color faced."
Leslie Cohen, executive director of the Arizona Center for Disability Law, provides information, training and often representation to students and other individuals with disabilities.
"University students, staff and faculty have the right to be free of discrimination," she said. "This includes the areas of employment, taking classes and any other interactions the public may have with the university."
The UA's compliance isn't free of barriers, Cohen said, and sometimes struggles with the definition of "reasonable accomodations."
The center receives a lot of questions regarding this issue, she said, and has found that cognitive disabilities which create a gray area.
"The University of Arizona is very large and has been very good at making some accommodations for students and faculty," Cohen said. "However, they have struggled with others in the learning-disabilities area."
It is often harder for institutions to recognize disabilities that are not physically apparent, she added, and often there have been failures in accommodating them.
Alan Strauss, the UA Disability Resource Center's student service coordinator, agreed and said it is often the gray area that makes it a tough call for his staff.
"We rely on outside evaluations of the student's disabilities when we make our accommodations," he said. "We don't do the actual diagnosing."
While the DRC, which services about 1,500 students, faculty and staff, leaves the prognosis to outside professionals, they evaluate the student and decide which accommodations are necessary.
The center is often viewed as a student-service hub, Strauss said, but is attempting to expand that perception to include the entire UA campus.
The purpose of this, he said, is to take away the negative connotations associated with having a disability and shift the focus to creating a positive environment that gives everyone an equal opportunity.
"I would say the University of Arizona has a great national reputation when it comes to accommodating students, faculty and visitors," Strauss added.
The Association for Students with Disabilities could not be reached for comment.
