Northwestern administrators said a recently settled lawsuit forcing Duke University to improve handicap accessibility on its campus had no bearing on NU’s current $5 million building renovations campaign.
“It had nothing to do with the lawsuit,” University President Henry Bienen said. “We did it because it was an important thing to do.”
NU began its campaign in 1998, two years after Duke was sued by a disabled student who alleged that numerous buildings and facilities on the Durham, N.C., campus were inaccessible to those in wheelchairs.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a grievance on behalf of the plaintiff, and in February 2000 Duke settled out of court, agreeing to make widespread changes to buildings and programs on its campus.
Duke agreed to modify elevators, bathrooms and food service lines throughout the campus. The university will make repairs to sidewalks and hallways, add ramps and run frequent handicap-accessible shuttles to improve mobility.
Duke also agreed to make significant changes to dormitories, eventually making at least 2 percent of all rooms on campus accessible. It will also enlarge doorways in at least half the rooms on floors with handicap-accessible rooms so students using wheelchairs can visit friends.
Duke further pledged to provide accessible seating in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils’ basketball arena, and other campus assembly areas.
The case was the first to be settled by the Justice Department against a college or university under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The landmark legislation, passed in 1990, requires institutions to make their facilities as accommodating as possible for the disabled.
Casey Stavrotoulos, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department, said the department could enjoin a case by filing a grievance on behalf of a plaintiff, or it could initiate an investigation itself.
She said no complaints have been filed regarding NU.
Music seniors Becca Pascal and Heather Doyle recently circulated a petition urging administrators to improve handicap accessibility on campus. They met with lawyers from Inclusion Solutions, a Chicago-based firm that deals with handicap-accessibility related issues, but both women said they are hoping to reach an agreement with the university without going to court.
“I would hope we would have direct communication where we can work with the university together,” Doyle said. “Hopefully the university can establish something where students’ voices are heard and respected.”
