The purpose of this petition is to: 

• Increase classroom accessibility; especially in the numerous cases of professors denying students' accommodations. 
• Enforce mandatory training for professors to learn how to properly accommodate students with disabilities. 
• Provide solutions to major concerns of students registered with the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) within the CSD; lack of communication, lack of resources, lack of funding, etc. 
• Increase physical campus accessibility; fix automatic door buttons, replace aggregate concrete, etc. 

To learn more in-depth about our solutions, read the rest of our petition below!

                                                              ... 

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, students at the University of Houston have seen the way our University has accommodated students in ways that the disability community has requested, and been denied, for years.

Online lectures, loose attendance policies, deadline extensions, use of technology, and more. These are all types of accommodations deemed “reasonable” by the Center for Students with DisABILITIES that are commonly requested every semester.

In the past, these accommodations are frequently denied. Disabled students’ basic needs and human rights are denied.

While the implementation of all of the previously mentioned accommodations is great for students with disabilities; two important issues arise:

1)    Students with disabilities are currently being denied their accommodations more frequently than ever. Due to the current online environment, the lack of face-to-face communication with professors slows the process of receiving accommodations. In many cases, professors are denying students’ accommodations because they are not taking their needs seriously in this time; they believe that there is already enough leeway.

2)    Will these current accommodations in response to the pandemic be upheld if we were to transition away from mostly digital learning? Will online lectures, loose attendance policies, deadline extensions, and usage of technology in the classroom be as widely accepted as it is now?

Currently, UH relies upon the Center for Students with DisABILITIES to “equalize [their] students’ learning, discovery, and engagement by fostering self-advocacy, inclusion, and success.”

In the eyes of many disabled students, none of the goals in the CSD’s mission statement are properly being achieved and acknowledged by the University.

Students registered with the CSD, and disability community allies, have created this list of concerns and action steps we demand to be looked at. The University of Houston must begin to prioritize and uplift the voices of its students with disabilities by acknowledging these concerns:

• Concern: Professors actively deny students’ accommodations due to lack of understanding of their students’ disabilities and human rights. Many students oftentimes do not receive their accommodations until later in the semester. Staff training on accommodating students is currently optional.

Proposed Solution: A University mandate that requires professors receive disability inclusion training. The CSD has already attempted to pass something similar to this through UH Human Resources, which got denied. This training is necessary and should include information regarding different types of accommodations, how students with disabilities should be properly accommodated in the classroom, and maybe even a brief history of disability rights.

• Concern: The CSD is severely understaffed and underpaid. There are only a few counselors, who students have reported having a difficult time getting in consistent contact with. It’s necessary for students to be able to contact their counselors, especially in instances where accommodations are being denied.

Proposed Solution: The University should put more funding into the CSD. Currently, the CSD is funded by the Student Fees Advisory Committee (SFAC). This is a very important department, and should either receive more SFAC funding or receive money from the University itself. This money could be allocated to hire more staff and increase CSD employee wages.

• Concern: The CSD website itself is currently inaccessible. There are no options to directly adjust text size or change the adjust the contrast.

Proposed Solution: Add a feature on the side of the CSD website to allow students to adjust text size and color contrast. (Example: the University of Texas’s Services for Students with Disabilities website)

• Concern: The CSD testing center is only open on weekdays. Students may need to take exams on weekends or at a different time during the weekday. The center’s sign-in options are very unadvanced, and some students consider them inaccessible.

Proposed Solution: Extend the testing center hours to allow students more flexibility when signing up to take their exams. Diversify sign-in options by adding fingerprint scanners and/or a redesigned sign-in form.

• Concern: The name Center for Students with DisABILITIES highlights the word ABILITIES. This wording choice inherently suggests that having a disability is negative, and that we need to have our “abilities” highlighted by people without disabilities to show us we are “capable.”

Proposed Solution: Ask disabled students what they would prefer the CSD to be called. Disability is not a bad word.

• Concern: The CSD intakes new students requesting accommodations through group orientations and group advising. Students with personal questions or students with specific disabilities may feel uncomfortable in this group setting.

Proposed Solution: Add the option for students to opt for a one-on-one meeting when initially beginning the CSD process. Having more staff members would help to alleviate any scheduling concerns associated with this solution.

• Concern: Some students feel they do not get adequate time to get to know their counselor and discuss their situation with them. The appointment time of 30 minutes was suggested externally, but does not align with the actual average time needed for appointments.

Proposed Solution: Add the option for students to request longer appointments. Have the CSD staff review their average appointment lengths and provide feedback on the matter.

• Concern: There are currently little to no plans in place for students who are physically unable to perform labs.

Proposed Solution: The CSD and UH Administration should meet with the UH lab department to discuss an accessible alternative for students with disabilities to complete labs. There should be a set of specific plans to accommodate any form of disability ahead of time. Why is the main burden currently placed onto the student?

• Concern: Campus facilities commonly have broken automatic door buttons. Many of the housing facilities on-campus have either broken or no automatic door buttons, including the exterior of Cougar Village I, Cougar Village II, the exterior of the University Lofts, and the exterior of Cougar Place. The Bayou Oaks exterior gates, as well as all except one townhome, also lack accessible entrance options.

Proposed Solution: Install new automatic doors buttons and activate all current exterior ones. The safety of students has often been an excuse to not turn on the exterior automatic door buttons at residence halls. However, the safety and rights of students with disabilities who need these buttons cannot be discarded and put on the back burner. It’s a danger to our health and safety to put ourselves at risk of physical harm every time we need to enter our home.

• Concern: The cobblestone sidewalks are very inconvenient when using a mobility device. The unevenness of the sidewalks creates jarring drops. These sidewalks present multiple issues to Blind students and students who utilize wheelchairs.

Proposed Solution: The University has already begun, and should continue, to replace the aggregate concrete with solid concrete pavement. Solid concrete pavement creates a safer and smoother sidewalk experience for all students.

 

This petition is intended be presented in a meeting with UH faculty. We hope to have your support in our initiative to create a more accessible environment at the University of Houston.

For any questions, comments, or concerns; feel free to reach out to either:

Madelyn Chidester, UH SGA Undergraduate At-Large Senator

madychidester99@gmail.com

Jonathan Sasser, UH SGA College of Technology Senator

jhsasser@uh.edu