Grenfell Campus Student Union will continue to fight for students with disabilities

The Grenfell Campus Student Union is committed to ensuring our campus is place where all students are able to safely access all necessary spaces. For years the Student Union has voiced concern over the many dangerous and inaccessible aspects of Grenfell Campus, including the limited access to the Forestry and Fine Arts buildings, the food cafeteria, and the undependable elevator.

In recent weeks our Students with Disabilities Caucus has been working to highlight the serious accessibility barriers throughout Grenfell Campus in order to bring attention to the measures needed to create a more inclusive campus. Students with Disabilities have told the Administration about the ongoing issues with the elevator, the dangers of the free parking lot for those students who are unable walk safely on uneven terrain, and the lack of automatic buttons for heavy doors throughout campus. Recognizing that these changes could take time we have suggested measures be taken in the interim to ease the current strain on students with disabilities, such as leaving these heavy doors open. In response, the Administration has remained silent or questioned the validity and necessity of students with disabilities requests. Grenfell campus is becoming exceedingly ableist and it is the responsibility of the University to provide a safe learning environment for all students on campus.

Students with disabilities are treated as an inconvenience and their requests to learn in a safe and accessible environment, seem to be considered a nuisance. The safety of able bodied students is being prioritized while students with disabilities continue to use spaces that were never made for them and continue to exclude their participation on this campus.

The Grenfell Campus Student Union will continue to fight for students with disabilities on our campus and resist the ableism that has permeated our institution. We believe in accessible education, in all its forms, for all our students.

For further information, please contact:
Shelby Thomas, Vice-President External, GCSU
709.640.3029

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