Working Group on Advancing Physical Accessibility for Individuals with Disabilities

Paraplegic students register for classes: 1949*

Received by email yesterday:

Dear Bruin Community:

As a public university committed to supporting students and employees with disabilities, UCLA must promote physical accessibility in all parts of our campus — including paths, buildings and classrooms — as well as ensure that disabled individuals can safely evacuate in an emergency.

In this vein, we are proud to announce the development of the Working Group on Advancing Physical Accessibility for Individuals with Disabilities at UCLA. Working in tandem with a UC-systemwide Advisory Workgroup on Students with Disabilities, this campus body will oversee and guide changes to ensure UCLA’s physical campus upholds our commitment to maintaining a disability-inclusive learning environment.

The mission of the Working Group on Advancing Physical Accessibility for Individuals with Disabilities at UCLA will be to identify, promote and resolve physical accessibility issues throughout UCLA’s campus. To achieve this mission, the working group will convene key stakeholders with direct oversight of overarching physical accessibility concerns on the UCLA campus. The initial goals of working group members will be as follows:

•Develop plans to determine and collaborate on the resolution of predominant physical accessibility concerns on the UCLA campus

•Examine existing inequities in physical accessibility on campus and develop viable, implementable methods for eliminating those inequities

•Monitor the implementation of UCLA’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plan, which identifies existing physical barriers and solutions for mitigation

•Identify priorities for removal of barriers to continued physical accessibility at UCLA

•Collaborate as stakeholders to identify and promote overall physical accessibility for new projects on the campus

We have asked ADA/Section 504 Compliance Officer Yonit Kovnator to co-chair the Working Group on Advancing Physical Accessibility for Individuals with Disabilities at UCLA. The full roster of working group members, and additional information on their critical work, will be available on the Working Group website in the coming weeks.

We thank this group — and collaborators across campus — for their efforts to help UCLA deepen its commitment to inclusivity.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block, Chancellor

Darnell Hunt, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Anna Spain Bradley, Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

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*Source of photo: https://digital.library.ucla.edu/catalog/ark:/21198/zz0018032h. Caption reads "SIGNING UP - Four of UCLA's 59 paraplegic students sign up at Westwood campus for fall semester. From left are Tom Trumbo, 25; Bill O'Mara, 30; Ms. Barbara Gates; Steve McNally, 27, and Fred Smead, 30. These students rank high in classes."