By Caroline Nickolaus
Staff Writer
Is the LIU Post campus handicap-accessible? To a large extent, the answer is yes. Certain buildings, including Humanities Hall and Pell Hall, have staircases for students to use; but they also have ramps at the entrances. For other building entrances that do not have ramps, including Hillwood Commons, the doors are handicap-accessible.
Within Hillwood Commons there are elevators for students to get from one floor to another. Other buildings with elevators are Lorber Hall, Brookville Hall, Riggs Hall, the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, Kahn Discovery Center, Humanities, the library, Kumble Hall, Pell, and the Winnick Student Center.
For most of the academic buildings, the needs of a handicapped student are met. In lecture halls located in Humanities, for example, in the far back of the room, there are slightly lower, bigger desks without chairs that can accommodate students in wheelchairs.
Inside many of the bathrooms on campus there are bigger stalls that can fit a wheelchair. Although not all of the bathrooms on campus are handicap accessible, William Kirker, Director of Facilities, stated, “There are accessible bathrooms throughout campus for convenient use. We are always looking at making bathrooms accessible as they are renovated.” For buildings that that are located near parking lots, there are designated parking spaces available to handicapped individuals.
LIU Post has recently made other improvements to make campus buildings handicap-accessible. The on-campus radio station, WCWP, built a ramp a few years ago. “We knew of a new student coming in who was going to be spending a bit of time there. The building was accessible, but not as convenient as it could be, so we took the opportunity to improve the access,” Kirker said.
“Post is very accessible and the Facilities [Department] does a great job with making sure all buildings are handicap accessible. If there is somewhere on campus that is not, you just have to let them know, and they will do their best to make it accessible,” said Charlie Moerler, a junior Broadcasting major.
Moerler added that it’s in the hands of students to speak up when a part of campus needs to be made handicap-accessible. “In regards to improvement, it’s really up to students in wheelchairs to let Facilities know what they think should be improved.” Moerler continued, “For example, when I was a freshman, I would go down to the fishbowl a lot and there was no handicap button on the door, so I asked Facilities if they could put in a button, and they did that in a relatively short amount of time.”
For students who are injured and temporarily bound to a wheel-chair, there is a different protocol. The LIU Post website states, “Students with medically verifiable disabilities, the nature of which does not qualify for handicapped parking privileges, may apply for a Temporary Parking Permit at the Medical Services located in Pell Hall. This permit is valid in Faculty/Staff parking areas and non-handicapped spots only.” Students who are not handicapped, however, must remain respectful and courteous to those who are not using these parking spaces.
Although it may be tempting if one is late for class and unable to find a regular parking spot, it will come with consequences. According to the LIU Post website, “Please remember that reserved parking is for people with disabilities and is a legal requirement, not just a courtesy. Do not allow others to misuse your plates or parking permits.”
The school enforces this policy by towing cars that are illegally parked in handicapped spaces. The website warns students of this consequence: “Any illegally parked car in a disabled parking space will be ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense. Cars will be towed by Charles Schmidt & Sons, located at 1061 Northern Blvd., Roslyn, 516-627-7630. Towing fees are at a minimum of $120.00, but are solely determined by Charles Schmidt & Sons, and subject to change at any time. Violators will also be responsible for a ticketing fine issued by the Department of Public Safety and/or local police.”
If you have suggestions to make the campus more handicap-accessible, email liupostpioneer@gmail.com, and we will publish your letter in The Pioneer’s “Letter to the Editor” section.
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