Week 11: Free Writing

One of the things that irks me the most is when people don't take handicap accessibility into consideration. Obviously, having a father with MS has drastically changed my perspective on this issue, however more people should be aware of it. When choosing a college, one of my first concerns was if it was handicap accessible or not, because I wanted my dad to feel comfortable when he'd come and visit or come watch one of my basketball games. After looking into Defiance College, I thought it was suitable enough for him. However, after having my dad actually come here, it has come to my realization that the campus is not all that accessible after all. Yes, Defiance has gone out of its way to provide elevators and handicap accessible sidewalks, but there are also many things that are not adequate enough. The bathrooms do not provide doors that open for those with walkers or wheelchairs, and the dorms also have very tight quarters that are hard to maneuver through. Many students that are enrolled in the Cultural Diversity class have also realized this due to the "wheelchair project" that they conduct. I guess what I'm trying to say is, people assume that a place is handicap accessible just because it has parking spots and buttons to open doors, but in reality much more is needed.