Senate examines disabled access initiatives

Published in the CSULB Daily 49er newspaper Dec. 6.

An attempt to transform Cal State Long Beach into a fully compliant campus for disabled students is being made by the Accessible Technology Initiative Committee.

Vice President of Student Services Doug Robinson addressed the Associated Students, Inc. Senate Wednesday to offer an explanation and presentation of the initiative originally ordered by CSU Chancellor Charles Reed back in December of 2004.

"This is a system-wide initiative that our campus is heavily engaged in," Robinson said. "It provides disabled individuals with equal access to instructional materials. It also benefits those with different learning styles."

The initiative aims to eventually conform all aspects of university life to allow for equal learning opportunities for everyone. Everything from architectural barriers to the design of Web sites will be taken into consideration.

"Universal design is an overarching principle and it suggests that products and services must be usable by the greatest number of people - including individuals with disabilities," Robinson said. "We found that through the removal of architectural barriers, that when you make it better for disabled people, you make it better for everyone."

There's also a possibility for lawsuits against the university if the campus fails to address these issues, according to Robinson.

"There was a $2 million complaint made at Cal State Fullerton," Robinson said, "because the university didn't move in a timely manner to provide accessible instructional material."

Recently, Cal State San Bernardino lost an $11 million to $12 million lawsuit due to architectural barriers, according to Robinson.

"CSULB will provide support for building accessibility, establish accountability and documentation, and we will communicate how alternative forms of access will be provided," Robinson said. "[Our vision] is to create a culture of access for an inclusive learning and working environment for everyone."

In other Senate news, senior political science major and ASI Associate Justice Erin Adams addressed the Senate to announce that the CSULB undergraduate law journal is open for submissions from any major.