Bridging the gap for handicapped

Though it is considered better than the steep ramp it replaces, questions over the new Guy West Bridge pedestrian overpass and its accessibility to the disabled remain.

The questions result not over compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but how far beyond it the campus could have gone in constructing the pedestrian overpass to assist disabled students.

At issue are the slope of the ramp, its length, the total height, available funding and the fact that the ADA's regulations were not designed to provide universal access in all cases, say university administrators.

The ADA requires ramps have a level resting place for every 30 inches of rise on slopes with rise-to-length ratios under one inch in rise to 20 inches in length. Other ramps on campus, such as the one leading to the lower floor of the Education building, are steeper, one inch of rise to 12 inches of distance.

Since it was designed at a one to 20 ratio, the Guy West pedestrian overpass contains no level resting areas.

"I don't think the ramps were ever intended to go that high and that far," said Patricia Sonntag, director of services to students with disabilities.

She said the ADA was designed to service paraplegics with a high degree of upper body mobility. This means a quadriplegic with some upper body mobility in a manual wheelchair would have a harder time on ramps, she said.

But, while she thinks that the ramp should have resting areas, it might not be enough for a wheelchair-bound student even if it did.

"I'm not sure a rest area is even going to help anyone go up a one in 20 unless they have considerable upper-body strength," she said.

Robin Lovering, manager of project design and development, who helps set construction plans on campus, agreed.

"It does present a hardship, there's no question about it," he said.

Lovering said the pedestrian overpass was made as shallow as possible. He also said that given the width and incline of the walkway, it should be possible for a wheelchair-bound person to rest by turning perpendicular to the slope.

On the original ramp to the Guy West Bridge, Lovering said it was possible for a wheelchair to tip backwards while going up the incline.

Peter Lau, director of equal opportunity, reviews construction plans for ADA compliance. He said construction designs also require approval from the state on ADA compliance.

"My role is basically to see that the design conforms and the campus and the state architect's office signs off on it," he said.

When asked if the campus could go beyond ADA requirements, Lau said yes, but the level of state funding, which does not come from the university's general budget, is the issue.

"Theoretically, yes. Practically, we are just trying to keep up with the minimum," he said. "If there is something we can do with new construction, we will look into that."

It's going beyond the minimum that has been the problem in widening access, Sonntag said.

"When you are looking at plans, you only look for non-compliance," she said.

"Deciding on a high functioning (paraplegic) is due to a lot of compromises on the federal level," Lovering said. "We build things to code."

The pedestrian overpass had to be signed off so construction could begin.

"I've been told unequivocally that the state architect's office approved the plans," Sonntag said. "I can only assume it's legal."