Some students at the University of Southern Mississippi have raised concerns about the accessibility of campus facilities for individuals using mobility aids, citing challenges in key areas such as the Thad Cochran Center.
Some students have pointed out issues with navigating the Thad Cochran Center, where individuals using mobility aids, such as canes or wheelchairs, may face difficulties accessing certain areas or need to take longer routes.
USM student Trinity Spencer shared her experience when trying to guide her sister, who uses a wheelchair, on a campus tour. On a rainy day, Spencer attempted to take her sister to the section of campus where The Maker Lab, the PRISM space, and student organizations are located, but encountered accessibility challenges.
“I realized there’s no way for me to get there because you either have to walk in the rain,” Spencer said. “If you have somebody pushing your chair, they can hold an umbrella, but if you’re pushing yourself, trying to go all the way around into the middle floor of the Union, you get soaked.”
Spencer also noted that some accessibility buttons around campus are often out of order. She specifically mentioned the button to open the front entrance of Scott Hall and issues with non-functioning buttons at the Thad Cochran Center, where one of the route’ buttons is inoperable both outside and inside. Spencer called for increased maintenance of accessibility tools across campus.
“I think that having more persistent maintenance done on the buildings would be better—weekly checks and maybe figuring something out to do in The Union,” Spencer said. “Just making sure that these accessibility tools are being maintained more persistently.”
USM’s Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and the Physical Plant Department encourage students to report concerns by submitting work orders through the Physical Plant order system. Students can email [email protected] or use the “Report Physical Barriers” form on the SAS website. Chase Robbins, Director of Student Accessibility Services, urged the campus community to report any issues with accessibility.
“SAS will forward this information to the Physical Plant in order to address the issue,” Robbins said. “SAS and the Physical Plant encourage the university community to let us know when any accessible door is not working.”
Robbins also stated that improvements are regularly made across campus as funding becomes available.
Students can report accessibility concerns via the form at https://usmforms.formstack.com/forms/report_a_barrier.
