The Social Work Students’ Association (SWSA) held a rally in front of Elizabeth Dafoe library last Wednesday in response to concerns raised by group members regarding accessibility.
During a recent SWSA meeting, the group’s accessibility representative raised the issues of people without passes parking in accessible parking stalls on campus, and stairs and railings on campus being inaccessible due to snow.
SWSA representative on the UMSU board of directors Gary Hill said the group “just wanted to raise awareness that this is an issue, there’s people that struggle, and as students, we need to play ball here.”
“It might be a small convenience for you to park in a handicap parking spot, and it’s a major inconvenience for someone with a disability [for others] to be taking that parking spot,” he said.
Hill said as a “pretty able-bodied” person, these issues were less obvious to him, but that when he heard students’ concerns, he agreed more needed to be done.
He said that accessibility is a right, and that people with disabilities or mobility issues “should have every opportunity to be able to come to campus.” He argued these barriers prevent them from exercising the “same right to the education that able bodied people have.”
After bringing the issue to student accessibility services, as well as the associate dean of the faculty of social work, SWSA members decided to raise awareness on the issue themselves. Hill said SWSA held the rally to push for solutions so this “doesn’t continue to be a problem.”
“During winter in Manitoba, it’s an issue, and we’re running out of winter. Then next year it’s just going to start all over again,” he said.
Hill highlighted the importance of raising awareness on accessibility concerns so they don’t remain “out of sight, out of mind.”
Hill asked people on campus to be considerate of those who rely on accessibility features. He said he doesn’t “think it’s a big ask” to not park in accessible parking spots, or to clear snow from stairs.
Andréa Espenell, SWSA senior stick and a participant in the rally, said consideration of accessibility should be “part of basic maintenance” on campus.
She said that she hopes both students and faculty at the university learn more about accessibility issues on campus, and that more people look out for challenges that may affect other students.
She called the availability of accessible parking stalls “a big issue.”
Espenell said if people see a car without a permit in an accessible parking spot, they should tell accessibility services.
“If more people are sending messages in, they might become quicker to deal with these issues.”
She highlighted other issues facing those with mobility issues on campus, such as snow clearing.
“We’ve noticed around campus that the stairs get cleared in the middle, so the railings aren’t actually accessible,” she said.
“It’s dangerous for everybody, but with somebody who has a physical disability, it’s even more dangerous.”
