You arrive to your building for class with a broken leg, carrying all your textbooks you need for the day, only to find the elevator with an ‘Out of Order’ sign taped to the door. So, you proceed to walk up three flights of stairs with crutches to your classroom only to find the building’s AC isn’t working. Now tired and increasingly hot from your journey up the stairs, you are ready to learn.
A series of elevator breakdowns on the Langston University campus has left
students, faculty and staff facing unexpected challenges as they navigate the
start of the new academic year. The elevator breakdowns, which have impacted multiple buildings across campus (Moore Hall, Sanford and University Women’s), have raised concerns about accessibility, safety and the overall well-being of the university community.
Without reasonable accommodations, broken elevators might be a violation of the American Disabilities Act (ADA) Titles one and two. Title one of the ADA ensures employees with a disability or injury have the right to an accessible safe
workplace, while title two mandates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities or injury to ensure students will not be refused access to education or participation in activities on the basis of injury or disability.
To address this problem, Langston University is providing reasonable accommodation to those under the American Disability Act by allowing students with ADA to attend class via Zoom or by moving classes to the first floor, if their building’s elevator has broken down.
The American Disability Act was passed in 1990, with the intention to prohibit discrimination against those with disabilities or debilitating injuries, such as those permanently in a wheelchair or those that are only temporarily on crutches. The ADA is applied to all public places and private places that are open to the general public. This applies to all areas of public life from transportation to workplaces, and even schools.
According to George Burnett, former assistant attorney general of Oklahoma City, the elevators being out in multiple buildings on campus does not violate the American Disability Act so long as students, faculty and staff with disabilities or injuries that would make it difficult to travel from floor to floor are given reasonable accommodations.
“Each case is looked at specifically and ADA cases are very facts specific. As
long as they have offered reasonable accommodations there is no violation.”
If a student, faculty, or staff member has a case of a medical, physical, or psychological disability, they should submit documentation detailing the nature of the injury or disability, indicating the functional impact of the injury or disability, diagnostic procedures used, and recommendations for assistance from a healthcare professional. Submit them to Connie F. Hughes, the Interim Director of Human Resources ADA Officer. Her office is located in Page Hall room 112.
Tristan Dozier
Staff Writer
Tristan Dozier is a senior corrections major.
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The Gazette serves as the student voice of Langston University. It is produced within the Department of Communication as a teaching tool and local news source for the campus community. The views and opinions expressed within are those of the writers whose names appear with the articles and do not necessarily represent the views of Langston University.
