Thursday October 4, 2001

KRISTIN ELVES

UA graduate Randall Hartman, left, and political science junior Omar Merheb wait in line for Panda Express yesterday inside the Student Union Memorial Center. Officials at the Disability Resource Center said there are several major problems with the way automatic door openers are installed in the union, making it difficult for disabled students to get around.

Automatic door openers installed incorrectly, students say

Several automatic door openers used for disabled access were installed incorrectly in the Student Union Memorial Center, officials say.

John Mosser, disability access coordinator for the University of Arizona Disability Resource Center, said there are three major problems with the newly installed openers: They are either positioned incorrectly, are not yet installed or simply don't work.

Nick Blankenburg, an undeclared sophomore and disabled student, said almost every time he goes to the union, he has to wait for someone to open the door for him because the openers don't work.

Blankenburg said another difficulty with the openers is their location in relationship to the opening door. Some are positioned so that a disabled person must push the opener and then cross a stream of pedestrian traffic to get to the open door.

Another disabled student said he wished officials would be more considerate of his needs.

"You'd think that people would be more aware of this type of thing," said Barton Cutter, a creative writing junior. "If you're not in a wheelchair, it is more difficult to understand what is needed."

The blueprints for the union's disabled access facilities were designed by Mosser and Amer-X Security Inc., which is contracted with UA to install security equipment on campus.

The openers were correctly positioned in the blueprints, Mosser said.

The blueprints specify that openers should be placed at about 33 inches above the ground, because many disabled students push the openers with their power wheelchairs instead of their hands, Mosser said. When the openers are too high or too low, he said it is impossible for some students to open the doors.

Bob Bertolini, project superintendent of the union construction project, said a different set of specifications was used to install the openers.

Bertolini said UA changes might have been stipulated in the blueprints, but if they were, they were missed because of miscommunication.

There are approximately 40 automatic door openers that will be distributed throughout both phases of the new union once the entire project is finished in December 2002.

Mosser said it is not certain how many units are failing at this time, either because the problem is being fixed or because students are getting used to it. Yet, complaints persist.

"(The contractors) are getting to it, it's just taking time," Mosser said.

Dan Adams, director of student unions, said the problem lies in making sure the new equipment is adjusted correctly.

Bertolini said the failure of some units is due to the fact that a different brand is being used than what UA had used in the past. He also said that contractors for the union are prepared to respond as quickly as possible to the problem.