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| Lyn File at the only wheelchair accessible table in the Bastille restaurant. |
Prompted by a recent article in the UT-Nieuws in which the Horst building was mentioned as being disability friendly, File was keen to put some of the other buildings to the test.
Her first stop was the Bastille, where she was surprised to find she could enter and exit with ease at the entrance from the parking area. `I didn't know there was a button on this side of the building. It was always a struggle for me to get to the book shop from the Boulevard.'
The self-service area of the student restaurant was only accessible to File via an open service elevator from inside the Union bar. Restaurant staff member, Astrid Teuiten, said, `If someone disabled comes into the restaurant, one of us will usually go and arrange everything for them. It's not always possible to leave the cash register unattended, but we try to help.' She also recommended using the entrance from the terrace to be seated at the only wheelchair friendly table in the restaurant. On inquiring at the student desk, File was directed to a disabled toilet on the first floor via the elevator. The Bellettrie Library was inaccessible.
Due to the weight of the door, the Sports Centre was also inaccessible to File. Assisted inside, she was directed to two disabled changing rooms, complete with a lavatory, but neither of which were labeled from the corridor. She had to take the freight elevator to reach the disabled toilet and the reception area on the first floor.
Regarding the supermarket she said, `I use it all the time. The biggest problem I have is reaching the pin machine.'
File was impressed with access to the Vrijhof building. The only obstacles she faced were the ramps. The library was equipped with both an elevator and a disabled toilet. Outside the library was an escape chair for use in emergencies. She did, however, have serious issues with the Amphitheatre. `I could never come here. The ramp is so steep, even with help I wouldn't feel safe using it.'
At the Faculty Club File discovered the spacious disabled toilet cluttered with a trolley full of linens and a high chair. She was, however, assured by a member of the staff that should she make a reservation, the offending items would be removed and the toilet cleaned in advance. According to File, this is a problem she encounters often. `Disabled toilets are always being used as store rooms. It's because they don't get visited very often, either that, or they are locked and you have to go searching for a key.'
The greatest challenge faced by File on her trip to the Boulevard was the weight of the outer doors. `Sometimes I need three hands,' she said. `It's tricky keeping a door open and still getting the wheelchair through.' Another difficulty was the length and angle of the ramps. `Short ramps are fine, but even though I work out, I can't make it up the longer or steeper ones.' The lack of disabled access signs was another area that she thought could be improved upon. `It's frustrating having to ask where and how to get somewhere. Clear signs would make a significant difference to wheelchair users.'
According to the UT's manager of maintenance, Ray Klumpert, the provision of facilities for the disabled is an ongoing project, and he is fully committed to implementing further improvements in the future.
