It’s been 15 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, and there are still many campus buildings that are not compliant. The Americans with Disabilities Act took effect in 1992 and guarantees equal rights for all people with disabilities.

Elizabeth Schabel, senior lecturer of English, compared it to another historic document.

“It’s the Emancipation Proclamation for all disabled people,” she said.

Schabel has had her English 302 students find compliance issues with campus buildings as a project. She has done this project for every semester since the ADA was passed.

“At first when we did this there were glaring problems,” Schabel said.

She said Iowa State has become more accessible for disabled people over the years, but there are still improvements needed.

“The bathrooms are demeaning,” she said. “The handicapped stalls are so small that people in wheelchairs can’t close the door.”

Schabel said there was also a lack of Braille materials.

“There’s not enough Braille and it’s not consistent,” she said.

Nancy Evans, professor of educational leadership and policy studies, has been the adviser for the Alliance for Disability Awareness group on campus for the last four years.

“Some areas on campus where there are accessibility issues are the doors that are too heavy to open,” she said.

The Alliance for Disability Awareness focuses on two main purposes: to educate students and advocate for changes that need to be made around campus.

Kerry Dixon-Fox, architect for facilities planning and management, said they have changed some buildings to make them more accessible.

“We have redone entrances to several campus buildings,” she said.

Dixon-Fox said it’s a goal to have a restroom that is handicapped-accessible in every building. She said facilities planning and management has $65,000 a year to address such issues.

“It took $20,000 apiece for the Gilman [Hall] restrooms,” Dixon-Fox said. “We replaced doors to be wide enough, made accessible stalls, lavatories and urinals.”

Schabel said her previous students’ research has resulted in changes made around campus. Some ramps were found to be too steep. Also, safety showers in labs are often too high to reach for someone in a wheelchair.

“When we evaluated the Memorial Union, we found that there was no way to go from the Maintenance Shop to the bathrooms upstairs,” Schabel said. “A person in a wheelchair would have to go outside and around the building just to get upstairs.”

Dixon-Fox said curb-cuts have been put in at most intersections on campus to become wheelchair accessible. She said accessibility issues are addressed through Student Disability Resources.

Schabel said there are 44 students with mobility impairments at Iowa State, but that does not necessarily mean they’re in a wheelchair. She said according to Iowa State, there are over 700 people registered who have a disability. She said she thinks there are many more who just haven’t registered with the university.

Student Disability Resources helps students register a disability. They are located at 1076 Student Services Building.