WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A student at a private college in West Palm Beach who uses a wheelchair is raising concerns about accessibility issues at the school.
According to Palm Beach Atlantic University senior Savannah Carr, accommodations like automatic door openers are hard to come by on campus.
"We are not including and welcoming students with disabilities," Carr said. "I shouldn't have to fight to have basic rights to go to class, especially when I pay so much for tuition."
Growing up wasn't easy for Carr, she broke her back in a trampoline accident at age 12. This injury spiraled into a host of other issues, some of which are the reasons she has been using a wheelchair for the past few weeks.
It's also what led her to PBAU's Office of Accessibility, looking for an aide to help her get around campus in the absence of automatic doors.
"They said no. It would be my responsibility to find someone," Carr said. "Because they did not want to put the burden of helping me on another student. I hate being told that I'm a burden, even if it's implied."
WPTV contacted the university for more information on the status of accommodations that Carr is looking for on doors. The school sent us a statement, saying in part:
"We have been working to make our entire campus easily accessible to our students, faculty, staff, alumni and community. … This is a high priority for PBA."
The university also acknowledged that not all of their spaces are accessed easily, especially their older buildings, some of which Carr regularly uses for class.
She was curious about the Americans with Disabilities Act, an accessibility law dating back to 1990. WPTV asked disability attorney Greg Sconzo about the issues, who said the ADA applies to private and public universities.
"So, private universities are both places of public accommodation in that colleges and universities are places that are open to the general public, and plus they receive public funding," Sconzo said.
Whether the changes come now or later, Carr said she's happy that she's speaking up about the problems.
"I'm not the first student on campus. There's other students. There's other people. This is my fight, not just on campus," Carr said. "Anytime I see anything unjust toward a person with a disability I argue at it."
