U of R Student Upset Over Getting Stuck In Snow
Friday, December 04, 2009 at 13:14
A wheelchair-bound university student says a poorly maintained parking lot is making it very difficult for her to navigate between classes.
Nicole Bear is a third-year student taking classes at both the First Nations University of Canada’s Regina campus and the University of Regina.
Bear says that because there is no sidewalk connecting the two buildings, she is forced to cross the Luther College parking lot to get to her classes — and since the lot is not well-cleared in winter, her wheelchair often gets stuck in the snow, leaving her stranded.
After getting stuck yet again earlier this week, just days after the first winter snow, Bear says she’s tired of being caught in the middle of what seems to be a jurisdictional squabble.
She says that when she’s gone to address the issue, she’s “been getting the run-around”, with staff from the two institutions “passing the buck”.
“They’ll sometimes say ‘it’s U of R’s responsibility, or if I go to the (U of R’s) disability resource office… and they look into it or whatever, then I’ve been told it’s First Nations (University’s) responsibility,” Bear says.
Bear says she’s troubled by the officials’ refusal to address something she says is not only a health and safety issue, but also an accessibility issue.
“If I can’t get through to where I need to be to go my classes, I can’t go to my classes. And if I hadn’t had someone there to help me out (when she got stuck), I wouldn’t have been able to go, so that affects my education,” she says.
Meanwhile, a University of Regina official is promising that Bear and other students with physical disabilities will no longer face such problems.
Paul Corns says the school’s facilities management department will be taking steps immediately to clear snow and ice from along the curb of Luther College’s parking lot, and ensure that a wide enough portion is maintained to the same level as the university’s sidewalks.
Corns says the university recognizes that the situation is “not acceptable,” and now that the facilities department knows about the problem, finding a long-term solution will be a “significant priority”.
“Doing this obviously over the winter months, it’s difficult to see where those options (for improving access) will go, but certainly… facilities management is looking at a couple of different options, and then there’s a full expectation there will be a construction project of some kind to address this issue over the longer term,” he says.
Corns says the university recognizes that all of its students must be able to access all buildings on campus, and they “sincerely apologize” for the difficulties students like Bear have faced.