Committee To Examine Handicapped Accessibility

In response to a highly critical study of Harvard's efforts to provide the handicapped with access to University buildings, a new student-faculty committee has been formed to study the problem and make recommendations for building renovations.

Although the University established a transition plan in 1978 which was designed to make all "essential" buildings accessible to the handicapped within five years, the report, published last spring by the Undergraduate Council, said Harvard's efforts to make the campus accessible to the handicapped were still inadequate.

"Harvard doesn't do enough for handicapped students," said Guy B. Wallace '88, author of the report and president of Advocacy for a Better Learning Environment (ABLE), the student organization that tries to improve the lives of handicapped students at Harvard. "The University has a long way to go on this issue," he said.

The committee's first task will be to review the transition plan, said Philip J. Parsons, assistant dean for physical resources in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Parsons will serve as chairman of the new six-member committee.

The committee plans to go through the list of the nearly 200 buildings within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to determine where renovations should be made first, said committee member Celia M. Kent.

"We will see what has been done and develop a list of priorities to see what we want to accomplish in the future," Kent said.

More tangibly, the committee is also trying toget permission to install a new, cheaper type ofelevator in the Leverett House library, Parsonssaid. "It hasn't been approved for use on the EastCoast yet, so we'd be something of a pioneer," hesaid.

"One of the major concerns is to provide betteraccess to freshman dorms," Kent said. Currently,two suites in Canaday Hall are the only Yardhousing accessible to wheelchairs.

Most houses are equally inaccessible. OnlyCurrier is fully accessible to the handicapped,and Cabot, Leverett, Mather, and Quincy arepartially accessible.

"The handicapped [should have access to] notonly public functions and their rooms, but shouldbe able to visit their friends in other rooms aswell," Parsons said.

"I have a lot of hope for the committee,"Wallace said. "The administration has a sincerecommitment to dealing with this problem."

However, Wallace indicated that the committee'seffectiveness will depend on how much funding itreceives from the university.

"If they nickel and dime us like they did inthe past, we won't get anywhere, but more moneyseems to be available now," he said. "The projectswe're looking at tend to be expensive," he said.

Parsons said that although a budget hasn't beenset aside for renovations, the costs will be high."Developing access can be extremely expensive.Putting in an elevator shaft can cost between$100,000 and $200,000," he said.

"We will develop a plan to use our limitedresources wisely to best serve the needs of thehandicapped," said Parsons