The Editorial Board of The Guilfordian recently underwent diversity training with the help of Jorge Zeballos and Jada Drew from the Multicultural Education Center. Among other things, it renewed our sense of purpose with regard to the language we use when we write about people with disabilities.
As a newspaper, we vow to use person-first language. For example, person-first language would mean saying “a person with special needs,” instead of “a special-needs person.” Doing so affirms that individuals with disabilities are not defined by those disabilities.
While we look inward, we are also prompted to look outward in our community. As we have previously acknowledged, we are proud of the improvements the College has brought about in accessibility on campus.
Many of our buildings have been made accessible by the addition of ramps and elevators, including most of the buildings with classrooms.
The Learning Commons also provides support for members of our community with less visible disabilities, such as alternate test -taking options for those who need them because of different learning styles.
However, there is still room for improvement.
One of the most noticeable areas that needs improvement involves the doors on campus. They do meet the requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, but not all of them are truly accessible for the members of our community who use wheelchairs.
This is especially pertinent for The Guilfordian staff because the spaces in Founders where we meet, the Publication Suite and the East Gallery, are not accessible to those in wheelchairs since the doors do not have automatic door-opening buttons.
Meanwhile, none of the residence halls are accessible to wheelchairs beyond the first floor. This also applies to Dana Auditorium. Most of the Old Apartments are not accessible at all because there are stairs to get to the front doors.
Realistically, we know that not all of these things can be immediately remedied, whether it be due to the structure of these buildings or to budgetary shortcomings. Still, it is important to be mindful of these limitations regardless, and to strive for improvement where we can.
As the Guilfordian staff works to be more conscientious about our language, we encourage the College to continue to grow and improve in accessibility so that all members of our community can feel included. We think that additional automatic door-opening buttons in public spaces could be a good start.
