McNeese State University is working closely with the U.S. Department of Justice to make the 80-acre campus, its services and programs more accessible to individuals with disabilities.

"Providing a welcoming environment and eliminating barriers to accessibility are fundamental to our mission of providing educational opportunities to qualified individuals and cultural and athletic events to the public," Dr. Robert Hebert, McNeese president, said.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 provides comprehensive civil rights protections to qualified individuals with disabilities in the areas of employment, public accommodations and state and local government services and telecommunications. Title II and Title III specifically address the accessibility requirements for programs and facilities. "The university's primary mission is academics, and providing access to classroom buildings, academic programs and activities is a priority. This includes program and activity accommodations as well as physical accommodations," Hebert said.

Three representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice recently conducted a site visit of the McNeese campus as part of an investigation and compliance review under Title II of the ADA.

"This was a tremendous opportunity for us to hear from the experts what structural changes and alterations are necessary for the campus, to clarify some of our concerns and to answer our questions about the ADA regulations," Candace Townsend, McNeese director of public information and communications, said. Hebert designated Townsend, Richard Rhoden, director of facilities and plant operations, Dr. Rosemary Gray, vice president of special services and equity, and Tim Delaney, director of the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, to accompany the Justice Department team during the site visit.

"We want to make our university a model of compliance in terms of services for qualified individuals, accessible facilities and the way we communicate accessibility to our students, employees, visitors and the public," Townsend said.

The majority of the buildings on the McNeese campus were constructed between 1940 and 1990. All new construction since the Act was passed is required to conform to ADA regulations.

Rhoden noted that many changes have been made since the Act was passed to make the campus and older academic buildings and non-academic facilities more accessible to persons with disabilities.

"One of the many things we learned during this visit is that we have succeeded in making many areas accessible but we need to make further adjustments," Rhoden said. "For example, the slope of some of the ramps is off by a few degrees, handrails need to be adjusted and other minor details such as the height of paper towel dispensers, wheelchair accessible sinks and drinking fountains, and changing the hardware on doors need to be addressed."

The Department of Justice will provide a written report to McNeese in early 2009. In the mean time McNeese officials are working to prioritize access in existing facilities and ensure that the plans for all projects under construction and planned for renovation this year are compliant. "We will also be reviewing communication tools and emergency plans to ensure the information and instructions are clear and properly communicated to our current students, employees and the public," Townsend said.

According to Rhoden, examples of changes made to the campus since the Act was passed include but are not limited to:

1. Providing classroom desks and tables that are ADA compliant in all academic buildings,

2. Installing building ramps,

3. Improving access to sidewalks from campus streets,

4. Building curb ramps,

5. Designating parking spaces,

6. Designating Areas of Refuge in all buildings for emergency evacuations,

7. Making over $700,000 in outdoor campus lighting improvements,

8. Installing 17 electric doors in campus buildings,

9. Retrofitting elevators to include accessible buttons, bells and door closures,

10. Making restrooms on campus ADA compliant. More restroom upgrades are included in building renovations scheduled for 2008-2009 and 2009-2010,

11. Spending over $75,000 to install ADA compliant interior signage for six buildings in 2007-2008,

12. Making accessible seating areas available at all athletic venues,

13. Scheduling ADA modifications in plans for upcoming renovation and repair projects in Kaufman Hall, the Shearman Fine Arts Building, the Frazar Memorial Library and the Quadrangle, and

14. Allocating more than $500,000 this fiscal year for ADA compliant interior and exterior signage and barrier removals in older facilities.

Two McNeese offices provide assistance and information to students, employees and visitors. The Office of Services for Students with Disabilities primarily serves currently enrolled students and prospective students. The Office of the Vice President of Special Services and Equity serves the needs of employees and campus visitors for reasonable accommodation requests and receives complaints related to reasonable accommodation requests.

"The President's Task Force on Disabilities Services and Compliance meets regularly during the year to review and discuss training programs, policies and procedures related to accessibility issues," Townsend said.

Qualifying students can receive services such as:

1. Pre-admission counseling,

2. Academic accommodations including priority class scheduling and possible relocation of classes depending on the situation or circumstance,

3. Testing accommodations,

4. Auxiliary aids and services, including interpreters, assisted auditory devices, note takers and tutoring,

5. Special accommodations in campus residence facilities.

More information on McNeese policies and procedures related to non-discrimination and accessibility can be found at www.mcneese.edu/administration/vpsse/.