Pools to be more wheelchair friendly : Revised regulations go into effect on March 15, 2012

Revised regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act will go into effect on March 15 that will require public and commercial pools to be wheelchair accessible. A former member of the Illinois Student Senate seeks to increase awareness of the accessibility of University pools.

Currently, Campus Recreation Center East, or CRCE, is the only pool with an accessibility ramp. Brock Gebhardt, senator emeritus and sponsor of the proposal, explained that a ramp like CRCE’s is not the only way to make pools accessible.

“There’s new technology, basically lift machines, that can lower people into pools. It’s much more inexpensive and requires less work on the pools (than ramps),” he said.

Kelsey Rozema, sophomore in LAS, said as someone who has used the lifts, campus pools are accessible but in need of some improvement.
“They could get more lifts because it’s hard to go swimming if there is more than one person needing to use the wheelchair lift,” she said.

Gebhardt said that the University ought to make swimming facilities as accessible as possible in order to help students who are mobility challenged.

“The University has made a commitment to diversity and made commitment to ensuring equal access to University facilities. In alignment with that commitment, one thing that needs to be done is pools need to be made accessible to people with disabilities,” he said.

Pools allow people to exercise with no impact on their joints. Gebhardt said that “pools are optimal for therapy and low-impact exercise.” Rozema believes that these lifts would be utilized by students who need them.

“Water is a good way people with severe disabilities can get their exercise,” she said.

Gebhardt is advocating that every aquatic facility on campus be made wheelchair accessible.

“As one of the most disability-friendly universities, I think the University must ensure everyone has equal opportunity to use the facilities,” he said. “It’s an injustice that our fellow students and faculty are unable to experience some facilities because of accessibility concerns.”

The proposal will be discussed at the senate’s meeting on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Levis Faculty Center.

# Daily Illini by Safia Kazi Nov 15, 2011
http://www.dailyillini.com/index.php/article/2011/11/senator_emeritus_seeks_to_make_pools_more_wheelchair_friendly