The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was a pioneer in campus accessibility, and remains one of the most accessible schools in the world. But issues still persist, creating barriers for some disabled students, like Alyx Bibbs, a U of I senior and a wheelchair user.
Bibbs is majoring in recreation, sport and tourism, and for the past three years, they have been working hard towards their minor in disability studies.
But with one required class left, Bibbs said they had to drop the minor — just one semester before graduation — because of bathroom inaccessibility issues.
Bibbs’ class on [topic] was held this semester in room 138 of the Henry Administration Building. Until recently, the bathroom nearby their class had a wheelchair accessible sign on it. But it was not accessible to Bibbs.
“I cannot even enter it, see? Stuck,” Bibbs said, demonstrating how their wheelchair does not fit into the stalls. “Now, I am using both of my feet to push the door open. Still stuck. Each wheel is kind of hitting the stall. It is so narrow, it is not up to the ADA measurements.”
Bibbs notified the instructor of their course, and filed a request to the U of I for accommodations but did not get a timely response. They ultimately dropped the course, and only in recent weeks — after IPM News sent questions about the bathroom accessibility issues Bibbs experienced to U of I officials — did the accessible signage get taken off the bathroom.
The whole experience has inspired Bibbs to become an advocate for the rights of disabled students.
“I’m not asking for them to rebuild a whole part or half of a part of a building,” they said, “but I’m asking you for reasonable accessibility.”
‘It made me feel like I was an inaccessibility’
In the first week of classes, Bibbs said they decided to use the women’s restroom 135 with accessible signage but struggled to get through the door because of the tall marble threshold and heavy door that Bibbs said they could barely open. With the help of two of their classmates, Bibbs said they made it inside, only to find the stalls were too narrow to enter.
The all-gender bathroom on the same floor — which also has accessible signage — has the same inaccessible threshold and does not have an automatic door or push-open mechanism for wheelchair users.
Looking for help, Bibbs said they reached out to their professor but didn’t get any support.
“The head professor said that nobody had brought up about the inaccessible bathroom before,” Bibbs said. “They said it was not possible to find another building. It made me feel like I was an inaccessibility.”
David Strauser, who was Bibbs’ instructor for this class, declined to comment on the issue, saying he is not an expert in accommodations.
But Steven Breitwieser, a spokesperson for U of I Facilities and Services said in an email that the women’s bathroom, Room 135, which Bibbs had found to be inaccessible, does not, in fact, meet ADA standards and “mistakenly” was labeled as accessible.
Service requests have been initiated to upgrade the all-gender bathroom, he said: “One will upgrade the door threshold… , adjust the closer, or install a door operator for an easier opening process. The addition of a vertical grab bar will also be considered as part of this work.”
He also said the accessible signage for the women’s bathroom, in Room 135, would be replaced. By mid-November — after IPM News received this statement — the signage had been removed.
The fact that the U of I took action only after IPM News reached out about the issue frustrates Bibbs.
“The fact that they only admitted the fact that the bathroom was mistakenly labeled and that they knew about it to a journalist, versus students with disabilities and those who are going to be trying to use that bathroom,… feels very gaslighting,” they said. “With the change in signage, I believe that if I went in there just alone, not knowing that this had happened, I would feel like I’m losing my mind.”
ADA standards are ‘the bare minimum’
Under federal law,all accessible bathrooms in commercial facilities and public areas must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA standards.
The bathroom should be wide enough for a wheelchair to easily roll in, the door should not be heavy, the toilet and sink should be within reach.
Robyn Deterding, former associate director of U of I campus recreation and an expert in universal design and accessibility, said that even bathrooms that fully comply with ADA standards are not fully accessible to all disabled people.
“Part of the thing with ADA is, it’s the bare minimum,” she said. “You go in a place that says it’s ADA compliant, and you have to think about: We’re providing you with this space, but can you physically use it with dignity and with respect?”
Many accessible bathrooms, Deterding said, can meet ADA standards but have issues with locks or have gaps.
Deterding said the key to solving inaccessibility issues is universal design that includes the needs of everyone. She uses the term “curb cut effect” to explain.
“‘Curb cut effect’ means, ‘I started with one idea, but it expanded to be able to assist so many others,’” she said. For example, “we were making a family changing area, not realizing that our students who are LGBTQ+, that’s a place for them!”
An example of the most universally designed building on campus, Deterding said, is the Chez Veterans Center.
Bibbs said she can see the difference in accessibility in the bathrooms at Chez compared to other campus buildings.
“Very smooth transition from the tile into the stall. There is enough space for a wheelchair to go inside – it is wide,” they said. “And I am very stoked right now.”
Bibbs would like to see the U of I make changes to enable all disabled students to have access to all the campus has to offer.
This semester, they created a petition to request the university improve infrastructure accessibility, create a “norm of care” among campus community, as well as improve communication between the university and students with disabilities.
Bibbs also led a march on campus for “Access for all, not just for some” at the end of October, to send a message to the U of I administration.
At the march, Bibbs’ mother, Annette Bibbs, said she would like the U of I to take her daughter’s message the way they would take it if it was their child: with empathy.
“If it was their child or grandchild, how would they feel about it?” she said. “I hope that they hear the voice and they start doing some things, at least show that they care,…and make them [students with disabilities] feel like they are a person just like everybody else and not somebody that’s invisible.”
Alyx Bibbs said they hope to bring about change, if not for themselves, then for future students.
“I love this university so much that I want to make sure that it lives up to its name,” they said. “That means going beyond just showing the good parts, that means doing everything that I’m doing right now.”