TOM HALLECK AND HEI HEI CHAN

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UB struggles to accommodate the disabled

In 2000, three UB students sued the university, claiming it failed to provide disabled students with reasonable accessibility accommodations.Three years later, under an agreement reached by both parties, UB was requiredto complete a self-audit that identified violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a civil rights law that had been recently established.While new facilities have been employed and some community members believe that progress has been made, others remain concerned with UB's accommodations for the disabled.According to Monica Moshenko, chairperson of the United University Professions at Buffalo Disability Committee, architectural barriers exist for disabled students, which are compounded by a lack of empathy on part of the entire university community.A former UB faculty member for 17 years and mother of a disabled child, Moshenko feels that UB does not "foster a culture of full inclusion.""(Does UB) provide services based on individual needs, that ensures access to all activities and events at SUNY Buffalo?" she asked.According to Randall Borst, director of disability services, UB has not been able to keep up with mandatory improvements in a timely manner."There are things we are just not working on, that were legally required to be done over ten years ago - actually over 20 years ago," he said.