To Whom It May Concern,

Students at George Mason with disabilities are having to face unnecessary and dangerous barriers when accessing their education daily. The list includes the following:

-Severe incline of sidewalks and pathways making it extremely difficult for persons with disabilities to traverse. One student was crying due to having to push themselves in a wheelchair from Ike's Dining Hall to Sandy Creek bus stop and missing the bus due to an extremely difficult incline.
-Multiple broken handicap buttons around ALL campuses.
-Missing handicap buttons on bathroom doors (ex., Schar School 4th floor), and on dozens of classroom doors, making them inaccessible for persons using wheelchairs or crutches (ex., Horizon Hall). 
-Bus stops being too far between buildings, and timed stops being too far apart in time. This includes, but is not limited to, Rappahannock River Lane, SciTech Campus, and Sandy Creek. For example, a student with a heart condition had no choice but to walk a dangerous distance from the Rappahannock stop to Buchanan Hall to be on time for a class. At SciTech Campus, the same student had to sit on the bus at Colgan Hall for 30-40 minutes so that they did not have to walk back in 90 to 100-degree Fahrenheit heat and risk passing out or becoming very ill.
-Lack of allergy-friendly options, especially on weekends. Many allergy-friendly dining locations are few and far between and are located at great distances from each other. A 15-minute wait by pre-ordering at Panera Bread turned into an hour-and-a-half wait on Saturday, November 4, 2023. There was nowhere to sit down, and such waits risk the health and safety of those with conditions such as diabetes and heart conditions. 

These barriers to access around campus are not only dangerous but illegal. This clearly the Americans with Disabilities Act.

These barriers also violate George Mason University's commitment to equivalent access posted at https://accessibility.gmu.edu/ 

Therefore, the students of George Mason University and supporters from around Northern Virginia have signed this petition for equal and reasonable accommodations.