Many students don’t really think about the layout of campus, whether each building has an elevator or not or whether ramps are available wherever outside stairs are. But for students with physical disabilities and/or mobility impairments, it can be a constant struggle to figure out different routes or ways to get into a building, often taking much longer and expending more energy to get somewhere than students without disabilities or mobility impairments. DU is relatively accessible, with elevators in all of the dorms and the majority of the main academic buildings. Outdoor ramps are also available in most of these areas. However, there are still some issues, like uneven sidewalks and hilly terrain, as well as buildings that are not Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, that make it difficult for students with disabilities to navigate.

I was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, aka brittle bone/glass bone disease, which causes my bones to break very easily, poor muscle tone, hyperflexibility/hypermobility, loose joints and skin that bruises and scars easily. I have had countless fractures and other injuries in my life due to this. I also have secondary endolymphatic hydrops, or the inability to regulate the amount of fluid in my ears, making it so I have compromised balance and bad vertigo. I am at a greater risk for fall and injury because of these things, and it has always been a challenge to make sure I can find a route around campus that does not put me at risk of injury. With other students around, that adds another challenge, because all it would take is for someone to bump into me hard enough, causing me to fall, and I could end up with a broken foot or arm.

Many colleges are notoriously behind when it comes to making their campus American with Disabilities Act compliant. For example, my sister, who has the same brittle bone condition I have, visited a school when looking for colleges that did not have elevators or ramps in any of their buildings except the newest one, and the outside terrain was extremely hilly and difficult to navigate. Even at the college she currently attends, her residence hall has a set of stairs leading up to an elevator but no ramp. To their credit, DU is trying to make the campus more accessible. With the recently implemented Chariot program, one of the buses was made to be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, giving students with disabilities another option for getting around campus. There is also a project in the works to build another ramp by Sturm Hall, which is why there is currently a fence up.

However, there are some things that still make traversing DU as a student with disabilities difficult. There are many uneven and bumpy sidewalks, particularly near Centennial Towers and Halls and near the on-campus apartments, which are tripping hazards and practically inaccessible for students in wheelchairs. DU’s campus is also very hilly, which adds an extra challenge for students with mobility impairments. I constantly worry that I am going to step wrong and turn my ankle, breaking it or my foot like I have in the past in different situations with uneven sidewalks or terrain.

One other thing that poses a challenge is navigating through the throngs of students going in between classes, which is even more treacherous now that Driscoll bridge is closed. The Evans Avenue crosswalk, which just opened back up this past weekend, is going to be the only way to cross between classes, which means bigger crowds of students trying to go back and forth in an already crowded area. I have already had two different people open a door on my foot when trying to get through Driscoll while Evans was closed, cutting it open and leaving me with some nasty bruises (which is another thing—many doors do not have door sweeps, which is a hazard for injury), and I have rolled my ankle while navigating through the crowds of students when trying to get to my next class on time.

All in all, many of the buildings at DU—not all, but several—are for the most part accessible for students with disabilities. Not everything is perfect, and the outside terrain as well as crowds of students make navigation difficult for some students with mobility impairments. But some of the recent implementations, like the Chariot that is Americans with Disabilities Act compliant—although not a perfect solution as it can take more time—are steps in the right direction. DU is making progress toward improving accessibility for students with disabilities, and as long as they keep thinking of ways to implement it as well as listen to students’ concerns, things should only continue to get better.