UCLA students who take off to class ten minutes before it starts
can consider themselves in a state of oblivion ““ not because
they’ll be late or unprepared, but because they’re
likely unaware of the time and effort it takes for a student using
a wheelchair to travel down Bruin Walk.
“Wheelchair users have physical obstacles to
battle,” said Kathy Molini, director of the Office for
Students with Disabilities.
One prime obstruction that disabled students using wheelchairs
have to endure while living in residential apartments is cars
double-parked in driveways. Not only does this obstruct vehicles in
the road, but the space between two cars is usually not even
sufficient for a wheelchair to pass.
This sort of parking is illegal, though police officers may
overlook it due to the “spirit of the law,” meaning
police officers may overlook minor infractions for what they
believe to be the well-being of society.
“If anybody isn’t being cited, the reason for that
would be that the officers that are responsible for the area are
being lenient because they understand that there is a limited
amount of space for vehicles to be parked,” said Los Angeles
Police Department spokesperson Jack Richter.
Though there are hundreds more students who need parking in
contrast to a few who use wheelchairs, it is a substantial obstacle
to those few and can possibly put them in danger.
“Whether or not there are 10,000 wheelchair users, all it
takes is one that can’t go down the sidewalk,” Molini
said.
Anyone who is aggravated by an overlooked vehicle infraction is
urged to notify the police.
“If somebody wrote a complaint, then we would give
tickets,” Richter said.
Wheelchair users have also voiced complaints in regard to the
poorly paved roads in Westwood’s residential areas. Potholes
and wide road cracks have a tendency to catch on wheelchairs, said
Emanuel Lin, a third-year computer science student who uses a
wheelchair.
On campus, a big problem for wheelchair users involves cyclists
locking their bicycles onto the railings of ramps intended for
disabled use.
Depending on how the bicycle is parked and where the handlebars
are placed, this could potentially obstruct wheelchair users and
prevent them from being able to use the modified access that was
created especially for them, Molini said.
UCLA has become equipped in terms of wheelchair access for the
most part, but some older buildings still make it difficult for
those using wheelchairs.
Some professor offices, particularly in Franz Hall, have narrow
doorways that wheelchairs cannot fit through.
Lin said in order for him to talk to a professor in one of those
offices, the professor needs to talk with him in the hall. This
makes their conversation less private.
In order to ease the difficulty encountered by disabled
students, the OSD provides a van which can hold up to 12 passengers
and has foldaway seats which can create room sufficient for two
wheelchairs, Molini said.
“I use the OSD van as often as I possibly can,” Lin
said.