Assistive listening device
An Assistive listening device (ALD) is used to improve hearing ability for people in a variety of situations where they are unable to distinguish speech in noise. Often in a noisy or crowded room it is almost impossible for an individual who is hard of hearing to distinguish one voice among many. The hard of hearing listener has to distinguish between background noise, noise between them and the speaker and then there will be the effect of room acoustics on the quality of sound reaching their ears.
Accessibility Council in conjunction with VIT proposed and was funded for installing Assistive Listening Devices in 2 classroom spaces (SCI 12 and LIB 201) in 2018. These classrooms were chosen strategically such that there would be at least one classroom in each campus building that had assistive listening. Flexibility in room scheduling for accommodation as well as a greater number of equipped rooms will greatly enhance the experience of people utilizing this accommodation technology.
A recommendation and request for funding additional rooms to be equipped with ALD systems will be put forth in upcoming years.
Building doormats
A student survey identified issues with doormat placement at building entrances, prompting reassessment of doormats to make them more weather resistant and safe. Existing doormats have been relocated to ease the transitions in between mats and door thresholds. New doormats will promote campus identification with the WSU logo while existing walk-off surfaces (grates) are being improved.
Campus signage
Another student identified improvement is for additional signage on campus. New signs will be added to better identify accessible pathways to various destinations where directions may be unclear or complicated. The campus is located on top of a hill, sometimes requiring accessible pathway navigation around or through buildings to use elevators and ramps.
Door hardware initiative
For more consistency and easier access to restrooms. Bathroom door latches have been removed across campus except in single user restrooms. The changes are intended to provide consistent access via push/pull door hardware, as well as easier access to our restrooms. Facilities Services implemented these changes in the spring of 2018 with funding from the WSU Vancouver Accessibility Council.
In addition, six more power operated (automatic) door openers were added in high occupancy buildings on campus. While the existing restroom hardware was ADA compliant (meeting the American with Disabilities Act standards), this initiative exceeded compliance by further assisting those with mobility challenges along with anyone carrying books and other heavy, awkward items. Before this project was initiated, there were six restroom doors fitted with automatic door openers in four classroom buildings. In two of the buildings, only one gender (half of a pair) had an automatic door opener. The project fitted six more restrooms with automatic door openers so that our high occupancy buildings now have at least one pair of restroom doors operated automatically with a push button. These buildings include Dengerink Administration Building, Firstenburg Student Commons, Multimedia Classroom and Undergraduate Buildings.
The project also converted nineteen (19) lever handles to push/pull hardware in ten locations. As a result, almost all the restroom doors on campus now have either automatic or push/pull operations. Those remaining, but were not modified, are ADA compliant single user restrooms with occupancy indicators as part of their lever action.
Parking lot accessibility
The Accessibility Council is researching the number and location of marked accessible parking spaces on campus to ensure that there is adequate parking for individuals who use these parking spaces.
Improved event accessibility
The Accessibility Council is working on an awareness campaign designed to increase knowledge about even accessibility and to work toward universally accessible events on campus.
The council also has increased the use and offering of CART (Communication Access Real-time Translation) for events at WSU (~$85/2 hours). This system uses real-time captioning during events providing immediate access to text versions of audio during events.
OSI (Office of Student Involvement) has been conducting training sessions on campus about the planning and making of more accessible events.