Last fall when college campuses across the country welcomed students to dorm life, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign raised the standard by opening a first-of-its-kind fully-accessible dorm for students with disabilities. Among a host of features, the dorm rooms are equipped with lifts for residents to get in and out of bed and use the bathroom, as well as a pager system to call for assistance at any time. Light switches and thermostats are reachable from a wheelchair, and roll-in showers have built-in seats. And, dorm room doors open simply by waving a wireless card, while faucets are sensor-activated. Even window blinds open by pushing a button. It is clearly a dream-come-true for these college students and their families.
Best of all, however, is the fact that these students will live on the main floor of a dorm that also houses hundreds of other University of Illinois students. This is a big change from traditional disability housing in which students with disabilities live separately from their typically developing peers. The students with disabilities who live in the dorm will learn how to hire and work with personal assistants (PA) in an effort to ease the transition to life after college. They will get about five hours daily with one of the PAs from the dorm program, who is also a fellow university student. PAs help with everything from using the bathroom to hooking a backpack on the back of a wheelchair.
For years, the University of Illinois has been recognized for taking a leading role in providing disability services for students. In a Chicago Tribune article dated August 18, 2010, Brad Hedrick, director of the university’s disability services, said this: “It is a remarkable statement about the commitment of this campus to ensure that those who are most marginalized in their access, if they have the desire and the capacity and the willingness to pursue a degree…Illinois is committed to making that a reality.” But this is nothing new at U. of I. It was the first college to introduce curb cuts, offer bus routes equipped with wheelchair lifts and offer a wheelchair sports program. The new dormitory is named for Tim Nugent. In 1948 he founded the university’s division of disability services, the first higher education program of its kind in the world.
For a listing of colleges and universities that are disability friendly, please read New Mobility.
