Colleges and universities in California are required to follow the accessibility rules of the Americans With Disabilities Act. While this law has been in effect for 30 years, many universities and colleges continue to have accessibility issues and may be unresponsive to students with disabilities who complain about a lack of accessibility. Because of the ongoing problems, a graduate student at UC Davis founded an advocacy group for disabled people who are attending colleges and universities in California.
Founding of UC Access Now
UC Access Now is a student disability advocacy organization that was founded when the UC Davis graduate student encountered problems after she reported an access problem for her disability to her school’s disabled student center. She said that the inadequate response from the center caused her to realize that organizations led by people who do not have disabilities fail to recognize the issues encountered by disabled people. As a result, she launched UC Access Now on July 26 to advocate for inclusion, accessibility and universal design on all of the campuses of the University of California system.
Goals of UC Access Now
The advocacy organization aims to get the University of California system to bring their campuses into compliance with the ADA. UC Access Now wants to get the board of regents and the system’s president to recognize and prioritize accessibility for disabled students.
Colleges and universities are required to comply with the accessibility provisions of the ADA unless they meet an exception. People who encounter accessibility issues for their disabilities while they attend universities or colleges may want to consult with attorneys who practice in the area of ADA compliance law. Businesses and colleges might also want to consult with attorneys to learn what they need to do to make their premises more accessible for people who have disabilities.