The University of Washington ADA Access Guide for Persons
with Disabilities (hereinafter refered to as the Access
Guide) has been prepared for hard-copy distribution
to faculty, staff, students, and visitors. In order to make
the Access Guide available to a wider range of
people, the text and maps have been put on the WEB.
Preface:
The University of Washington has long been involved with
equal access to its facilities and programs for students,
faculty and staff. In 1978, the first edition of the
Access Guide was published by Disabled
Student Services as an aid to navigation of the campus for
persons with disabilities.
In January of 1992, the University formed the Standing
Committee on Accessibility. This Committee advises
Facilities Services and Capital Projects Office regarding
improvements to the physical environment.
In July of 2007, Nickie McCraw was appointed as ADA Coordinator
for the University. She is Assistant Vice President of Human Resources
for the Medical Center Operations. As ADA Coordinator, she has
responsibilities related to employment, program and
facility access issues related to the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
Purpose:
The Access Guide is designed to help
students, faculty, staff and visitors with disabilities
locate appropriate routes on the Seattle campus and find
appropriate entrances within buildings. The Access
Guide may be helpful primarily to persons with
mobility impairments, but may also be useful to persons
with other types of disabilities. A copy of The
Access Guide in alternate format may be
available upon request at the Disability Resoures for Students Office
located in Schmitz Hall.
Many older buildings on the Seattle campus do not conform
to the most recent accessibility code requirements
applicable to new construction. Rather than identify a
feature as accessible, The Access Guide
provides measurements of facilities in each building. Since
each person has differing requirements for accessibility,
it is up to the individual to assess this information and
conclude whether he or she can use a facility.
A number of projects are being undertaken throughout the
campus during the academic year to increase the
accessibility to and within buildings. These projects
include widening entrances and doors, lowering thresholds,
installing automatic door openers, building ramps, lowering
elevator controls, adjusting elevator sensors, replacing
door hardware and modifying restrooms. As a result, you may
find that a building is more accessible than it is
described as being in the following pages.
A Note To People With Mobility Impairments:
The Seattle campus is deceptively steep, rising from Lake
Washington on the east to an elevation of 224 feet at the
northwest corner, a rise equal to an 18 story building. The
campus is also relatively large, about 15 blocks north to
south and 25 blocks east to west. The University,
therefore, encourages wheelchair users to consider using
power-operated wheelchairs on campus.
Since the University is located on a sloping site, many of
the pedestrian ways have conditions that do not meet
accessibility requirements for slope, duration, surface and
rails. Individuals may need to experience a given route to
determine if it is accessible for them.
