#rampupbc
Physical Barriers to access at BC Chestnut Hill campus:
Above photo slide show of Boston College shows the current and history of creating architectural barriers with new construction. The first photo shows the O'Neill Plaza in a date prior to 2013 construction with brick stairs and walkway constructed. No wheelchair access. In 2013, this was removed and new barriers were constructed with stairs. No ramps or access were provided at all in the entire O'Neill Plaza. The only access was the route on the far perimeter, segregated from other path of travel. It is questioned how it is possible that BC allowed for this? The new construction at the Quad also shows that stairs were placed which once had a more accessible route.
3/10/14: Door Controls. New construction at Maloney Hall. The wall now protrudes and cannot reach the door control from a wheelchair (521CMR section 39)
Parking lot- Commonwealth Avenue. Parked in the car and hit the cement pole barrier placed in the middle of the handicap parking access aisle. I spoke with another woman who did the same thing. Those poles need to be removed (521CMR 23.00: PARKING AND PASSENGER LOADING ZONES )
* Update: 2016: No wheelchair access at O'Neill Atrium after lift removed.
BC recently removed the wheelchair lift at the O'Neill Atrium for use, after it was reportedly inspected by the Mass Elevator Board and Stanley Elevator at BC (John Dalton?). The lift is locked. These 44 stairs is the main route of travel for the public. BC has stated in it's new flyers posted on the O'Neill doors for people to walk to the Commonwealth Garage and use those elevators, and travel to in front of O'Neill library. This route, in snow storms, etc, is supposedly the same or coincides with the public route from Maloney Hall and the accessible route of the 5th floor garage. Photos here show that this supposed route around campus to the BC Academic buildings where students need to go to courses, is anything but compliant with slope required for accessible routes. Any grade above 5% is considered a ramp. A ramp needs handrails. The slope leading to the door of the Disability Office building (Maloney Hall) has a grade steeper than even that of a ramp. The route to the garage is unsafe. One is expecting to walk into speeding traffic of cars inside the garage to get to the "accessible" elevators, to travel from the accessible route of the 5th floor, to the top of the 7th floor garage? There is no parking for the public on the 7th floor (see signs-public only allowed to park on floors 3-6).
The slopes of the walkways have recently been measured with a calibrated smart level (please feel free to recheck to confirm accuracy). The slope of the walkways that is called "wheelchair accessible route" or "wheelchair negotiable route" has slopes ranging near to 17%. This is unacceptable.
2016 UPDATE: Richard Jefferson left May 2015. BC does not have an active ADA/504 Compliance officer as mandated. Richard Jefferson stated his position was only for employees, and no one at BC accountable for wheelchair access.
2014: Richard Jefferson is designated as the 504 Coordinator. This is a federally designated position to oversee to make sure that no students with disabilities on campus are discriminated against based on their disability. His office is responsible to make sure that all programs are accessible (programmatic access) and removal of architectural barriers. This position seems to be failing.
Request a work-order: https://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/facilities/facservices/wo.html
Physical Barriers to access at BC Chestnut Hill campus:
Above photo slide show of Boston College shows the current and history of creating architectural barriers with new construction. The first photo shows the O'Neill Plaza in a date prior to 2013 construction with brick stairs and walkway constructed. No wheelchair access. In 2013, this was removed and new barriers were constructed with stairs. No ramps or access were provided at all in the entire O'Neill Plaza. The only access was the route on the far perimeter, segregated from other path of travel. It is questioned how it is possible that BC allowed for this? The new construction at the Quad also shows that stairs were placed which once had a more accessible route.
3/10/14: Door Controls. New construction at Maloney Hall. The wall now protrudes and cannot reach the door control from a wheelchair (521CMR section 39)
Parking lot- Commonwealth Avenue. Parked in the car and hit the cement pole barrier placed in the middle of the handicap parking access aisle. I spoke with another woman who did the same thing. Those poles need to be removed (521CMR 23.00: PARKING AND PASSENGER LOADING ZONES )
* Update: 2016: No wheelchair access at O'Neill Atrium after lift removed.
BC recently removed the wheelchair lift at the O'Neill Atrium for use, after it was reportedly inspected by the Mass Elevator Board and Stanley Elevator at BC (John Dalton?). The lift is locked. These 44 stairs is the main route of travel for the public. BC has stated in it's new flyers posted on the O'Neill doors for people to walk to the Commonwealth Garage and use those elevators, and travel to in front of O'Neill library. This route, in snow storms, etc, is supposedly the same or coincides with the public route from Maloney Hall and the accessible route of the 5th floor garage. Photos here show that this supposed route around campus to the BC Academic buildings where students need to go to courses, is anything but compliant with slope required for accessible routes. Any grade above 5% is considered a ramp. A ramp needs handrails. The slope leading to the door of the Disability Office building (Maloney Hall) has a grade steeper than even that of a ramp. The route to the garage is unsafe. One is expecting to walk into speeding traffic of cars inside the garage to get to the "accessible" elevators, to travel from the accessible route of the 5th floor, to the top of the 7th floor garage? There is no parking for the public on the 7th floor (see signs-public only allowed to park on floors 3-6).
The slopes of the walkways have recently been measured with a calibrated smart level (please feel free to recheck to confirm accuracy). The slope of the walkways that is called "wheelchair accessible route" or "wheelchair negotiable route" has slopes ranging near to 17%. This is unacceptable.
2016 UPDATE: Richard Jefferson left May 2015. BC does not have an active ADA/504 Compliance officer as mandated. Richard Jefferson stated his position was only for employees, and no one at BC accountable for wheelchair access.
2014: Richard Jefferson is designated as the 504 Coordinator. This is a federally designated position to oversee to make sure that no students with disabilities on campus are discriminated against based on their disability. His office is responsible to make sure that all programs are accessible (programmatic access) and removal of architectural barriers. This position seems to be failing.
Request a work-order: https://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/facilities/facservices/wo.html