Campus beauty hides struggles of those with impaired mobility

The Dant House with stairs, doorways at ground level, and the accessible restroom labeled. Graphic by Anousha Greiveldinger ‘20

The 17 steps up to Dant 10 proved to be a Herculean task as I tried to crutch my way into the classroom before Dave Whitson, the Palma Scholars Program Director, could spew his infamous line: “You’re 15 seconds late.”

Whitson offered to relocate our class to a classroom in Vollum, but as a matter of pride, I refused. My classmates felt the room was the best on campus, so why should their learning experience be negatively impacted by me?

I tore my ACL and was on crutches for two months. Even after I was off crutches, I was not able to walk completely normally for another few months. Being an athlete is a big part of my identity, and having restricted movement was challenging for me.

In a way, getting special treatment was acknowledging that I would be unable to play sports for at least six months. I was determined to keep my routine as normal as possible as a way to cope with the injury, so I was reluctant to ask for help.

Other members of the Catlin Gabel School (CGS) community echoed my doubts about receiving accommodations.

“It is important for us to remember that it can be difficult to find the courage to self-advocate and ask for accessibility accommodations when you want to fit in and/or not be judged,” said Upper School Spanish Teacher Lauren Reggero-Toledano in an interview conducted via email.

Reggero-Toledano has had mobility issues since 2013, but they became more noticeable in 2015, and she sometimes uses a cane to navigate around campus.

She is one of many who have had difficulties moving around CGS’ campus.

Senior Casey Shultis had a boot and crutches for three months last year and two and a half weeks this year.

He said the most difficult aspect of getting around was, “The annoying stretches of going places that are close together and knowing I couldn’t walk those distances myself.”

Some of his independence was taken away which frustrated him because there was nothing he could do about it.

During her sophomore year, current junior Katie Barnicle broke her leg and was on crutches for six weeks. She also had a class in Dant 10, but her teacher (Whitson) relocated it to Vollum, where the classroom could be accessed without stairs.

She used a golf cart, provided by facilities, to get between her classes, easing the amount of strain on her leg.

“I think what was most difficult was... I could get places quick enough but I wasn’t able to do it with people. I was kind of isolated,” said Barnicle.

Although the cart enabled her to get to her classes on time, it was not a perfect solution. Not only did the cart limit who she could travel with to and from classes, but accessing the cart itself also proved difficult.

Map courtesy of the Catlin Gabel School Website

To get a cart, people must park or get dropped off at the Facilities Office and Warehouse, which is on the opposite side of the parking lot from the rest of the campus. The carts are locked behind a gate at the top of a gravel slope.

Lindsay Babbitt, the Assistant Director of Outdoor Education was in a boot for seven weeks and used a knee scooter for five of those weeks. For some of that time, she used a golf cart to increase her mobility.

“I actually fell one time, going down the hill. I had put the cart away and was going down to get into my car, and I hit a bump and fell off my scooter,” said Babbitt.

Babbitt teaches in both the Middle School (MS) and Upper School (US), so she interacts with multiple parts of the campus. To get from the top to the lower level of the MS, she had to travel outside, around a ramp, and back in through the main entrance. This process involved opening many doors, another challenge for people with limited mobility.

In addition to adding extra doors, the more accessible routes at CGS often add distance, further increasing the time it takes people to maneuver around campus.

Babbitt also mentioned that accessing a bathroom was difficult because the closest one was inside Dant, and she had to go up an unpaved path to access it or take the elevator down to the lower level of the Creative Arts Center (CAC).

Reggero-Toledano also spoke about the challenges of accessing restrooms.

“We have no bathrooms in the Modern Language Building which can mean that getting to and from a bathroom, at times, takes longer than the passing time I have between classes,” Reggero-Toledano said.

Although CGS’ 67-acre campus looks impressive on brochures, the large distances between buildings makes it difficult to avoid tardiness with the short five-minute passing periods.

The difficulty of getting across campus was mentioned by everyone interviewed. But what does CGS do to make itself more accessible to those with disabilities?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to independent schools and defines the accommodations the school must make for students, employees, and the general public. The law covers an assortment of conditions, including HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder, speech impairments, and epilepsy.

The Dant House might appear to be an example of where the school is not ADA-compliant, but Facilities Director Kitty Firth explained that the building did comply with the 2004 building code, which is the standard it had to meet when it was last renovated.

Since it is built into a hill, there are two small levels on the first floor of the Dant House which are connected by steps.

“Because it’s got ground access to everything, those three little steps are annoying but fairly hard to get rid of without completely changing the building, so in that way, that building was not required to put a ramp there,” said Firth.

Even though the only way to access Dant 10 is by stairs, an elevator or ramp is not necessary because the school makes an accommodation by moving the classroom.

The school says they proactively think about accessibility when renovating so they do not have to alter their plans after the county makes suggestions. They try to upgrade spaces where work is already being done to limit both cost and interruptions.

Firth gave an example of the patio outside the Art Barn. Many of the tiles were uneven, so workers relaid them. In the process, they brought the patio up to the level of the door, eliminating the small step required to get into the building, making it more accessible.

Now that CGS has purchased the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts (OCAC), students will need to navigate between the two campuses. Walking on Barnes Road, the entrances of the two campuses are roughly 0.3 miles apart on a sloped road.

Firth said that the school was thinking about accessibility at OCAC and creating an accessible path between the current campus and the newly purchased land. The current plan is that students will walk on Leahy Road and reach CGS’ main campus near the soccer fields.

To get back to the US, students must walk down a steep hill to the Upper Field. This hill has a grade change of 100 feet, the equivalent of a 10-story building.

There are plans to build a new athletic facility in the side of the hill. The building would have an elevator, enabling people to avoid much of the steepness, making the walk between the current campus and OCAC land much easier.

Even though CGS has many projects to focus on with the renovation of the Barn and the school’s expansion, there is still room for improvement on the main campus.

Babbitt suggested adding automatic doors to make it easier for people, especially those with crutches, to get in and out of buildings on their own.

“An elevator in the MS building-- as costly as that is -- will make a HUGE difference in accessibility and inclusivity,” wrote Reggero-Toledano. Adding rails along steep paths could also help people get around.

Many students have their lockers in the Lower Library, and especially when someone has trouble moving, dropping off excess bags quickly can make a huge difference. Unfortunately, the building is often locked before 8am, blocking access to the lockers and the elevator, forcing people to walk up the steep ramp by Vollum, around the sidewalk by the parking lot, or climbing the stairs, to reach the quad. Making sure this building is unlocked could greatly help increase the ease of movement around campus.

On its own, having impaired mobility feels isolating and adding in the challenges of navigating CGS’ campus exacerbates that. The school prides itself on being inclusive, but community members can do more to support those who need it.

“I think it would be helpful if teachers were more understanding if you were late,” said Barnicle.

Sometimes, it’s not possible to make it between classes on time even when someone can walk normally, especially if someone is taking Rock Band, Jazz Band, Ceramics, or Woodshop classes that are farther away from the main US buildings.

“People in general were really kind. Students and adults would help hold doors for me or carry things for me or offer me a chair which was really great. I think one really hard part of being injured is all the questions people ask you,” said Babbitt.

Having to repeat the same story about what the injury is and the estimated recovery time can get discouraging. When asking questions, be mindful of the person’s responses and make sure not to push if the topic seems too sensitive.

“We need to keep our assumptions in check, assume good intent, be patient, and check-in regularly to see how and where we can do better,” wrote Reggero-Toledano.