The average White Station student wouldn’t think twice about navigating the crowded halls or traversing the vast campus. However, for students with disabilities, mobility around the school can be a struggle.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, businesses and facilities are required to provide reasonable access for disabled citizens. So, does White Station meet this criterion?
According to 10th grade assistant principal Anthony Bowen, White Station does indeed fit these parameters. There are elevators and lifts in every building that give students access to all levels. New additions like the courtyard have also created handicap-accessible pathways between buildings, and the new circular driveway makes the pickup and dropoff of disabled students more fluid. Still, there is always room for improvement.
“There have been several talks about doing different renovations to the campus, and I’m sure that any additions or new parts of the building would keep in mind handicap accessibility,” Bowen said.
For freshman Annabelle Hulgan, who uses a wheelchair, entry to certain buildings is one of her biggest obstacles. For example, because the main building staircases are not handicap-accessible, she is unable to go from the main building to the east annex without exiting the building altogether.
Tracy Stone, Annabelle’s aid, recognizes the issue in lack of staircase accessibility.
“There’s only one staircase that has a lift in it… so she [Annabelle] can only get up and down the elevator,” Stone said. “If something else was to happen, we’d have to either carry her or put her in a hammock to get her down the stairs.”
Toledo Campbell, the school plant manager, oversees certain building operations and also acknowledges that there is room for improvement.
“We are… open to feedback, suggestions of things that could make the building more accessible to our handicapped students, as well as our overall student body,” Campbell said.