As part of One Accessibility advocacy, we share information about disability issues, inclusion, and or accessibility features on Maps. Look out every week for this enlightening post.
Caption: Faculty of Arts Building, Unilag
We all know by now that over 1 billion people around the world have one form of disabilities and 50% of children with disabilities are out of school worldwide (Unicef). In Nigeria,about 95% children with disabilities who are out of school and many young people are unable to access higher education due to barriers society has placed on their path. The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities(NCPWD) is engaging universities to close this gap.
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) was where I studied for my Masters degree and recently was there for a conference. The Campus is situated in Akoka, Yaba area of Lagos. Personally, my experience at the university was stress-free from application to graduation. For persons with disabilities it may be a different story all together but I will give my assessment and suggestions towards making the campus more disability friendly or accessible for everyone.
Built Environment
Although the University was built in the 1960s some modifications have been made at various times. Most of the built areas are not quite accessible for PwDs especially for wheelchair users. Accessible walkways and curbs are almost non-existent. This is a big challenge for students and staff who would love to move around the campus unaccompanied. One thing, I like about the Faculty of Arts building is that there is an elevator aside the six - storey staircase to reach my classroom. So this is a plus as several students including PwDs hop into the elevator to catch their classes across the six floors.
Another major thing that is missing is the signs. The campus does not have adequate signs and directions to guide students and staff especially PwDs. Signs are quite important for persons with limited vision and for the general public. It should start right from the major entrance to the classroom. Visible signs with the right fonts and colors are important to accessible way-finding.
Ramps can be seen across the campus. Some retrofitting was made in some locations thus not complying with measurements especially slopes.
Web/Digital
Like most schools in Nigeria who are still not conversant with accessibility, the school does not have a clear accessibility policy online or offline. Although, all schools in Nigeria, in line with the constitution do not discriminate against PwDs, there is need to have accessibility policy to guide its focus of making it inclusive. This should include online or web resources such as websites, e-libraries and learning materials like word documents and PDFs.
Human Resources
It is impossible to achieve significant inclusion without adequate human resources driving the agenda. Thus it is important to have the head of the institution or one of the top officers lead the accessibility team. The team, of course, would comprise of PwDs, experts in various areas and contact staff. One of the known academic staff with disability at the University of Lagos is Joseph Chikunie. He is a lecturer and holds a Ph.D. in philosophy. Joseph studied in UNILAG and was retained after graduation. He was a strong student union member and later an accessibility champion leading the disability association on campus. The Unilag Library’s inclusion unit is headed by PwD Mr. Ejikeme Obodoma who has a technical skill in accessible library services.
Caption: Pavements, stairs and ramp leading the Unilag Library
Learning Resources
Recently, while attending a conference at the UNILAG, I discovered that the school has made some provision for PwDs. It has a Visually Impaired Resource Centre (VIRC) as part of the Library which is headed by a Higher Technical Officer. There is provision for braille books for students with visual impairment. This is major milestone as students would be able to learn in a diverse class without reading difficulties. The e-library provides room for assistive devices and digital readers for students with disabilities. Nevertheless, this could be significantly improved to encourage more PwDs to study at the campus.
Transit System
The transport system here is usually by car or bus. There is no provision for PwDs at the various bus stops or loading points. The vehicles do not have accessible seating or dedicated seats for disabled students.
Accessibility Policy Statement
As the time of writing this post, the UNILAG does not have a policy statement online or offline. The website does not provide accessibility features for an inclusive experience as outlined by WCG.
VERDICT
UNILAG has made effort to have an inclusive campus for PwDs but significant work needs to be done to make it one of the destination campuses for students with disabilities. The Vice Chancellor could champion the accessibility project in order to make the institution truly inclusive for everyone.
HOW TO MAKE OUR CAMPUS ACCESSIBLE
To make our campuses truly accessible we should have a KPI in line with international or national laws. The institution needs to understand disability, have skilled staff, a clear accessibility policy, barrier free environment, accessible classroom, assistive technologies and other provisions that would enable equal opportunities for learning. To achieve accessibility, there must be an accessibility champion; this could be the Vice Chancellor or a high ranking official who oversees disability, inclusion and accessibility affairs.
For a campus to be truly accessible it must cater for some basics like hearing disabilities, visual disabilities, mobile disabilities and cognitive disabilities. Inclusive schools and campuses must have trained staff readily available to engage PwDs at all levels. Academic and non-academic staff should be conscious to accommodate all disabilities in their lines of duty. For example, a lecturer should be able to use visual and non-visual means of communication to teach students. Staff and students should also understand disability etiquette. It is important to understand that some words, terms and phrases which may offend PwDs could change from time to time. Also individuals and groups may have preference for terms and phrases. Although there is no wrong or right way to interact with PwDs but it is always better to ask. One thing to look out for is clear accessibility statement policy.
Any school that does not have its inclusive policy in black & white does not take accessibility serious. This is usually a guideline for implementation across all levels of the institution. Experts could be consulted to prepare such policies and a team dedicated to ensure it is followed to the letter.
My Checklist for Campus Accessibility:
Accessibility Statement Policy (Official document outlining provisions and contacts; online & offline)
Accessibility Office & Team (Dedicated staff, Accessibility Lead, Champions, Greeters, Sign Language)
Accessible Signs & Directions (font type & size, color and positioning)
Accessible Classroom (hearing aids, visual aids, ramps, sign language etc)
Accessible Books & Library (braille, tactile, audio books, alternate texts, captioning etc)
Accessible Transport & Parking (ramps, dedicated parking)
Accessible Restrooms (grab bars, braille sign, wide doors, WC heights etc)
Is your campus accessible? What do you think your school or former school could do better to remove barriers for students with disabilities on campus? Does your school have an Accessibility Champion?
If you have a question, suggestion, or contribution, feel free to comment below. You can read last week’s roundup article here and check the list of our other articles under “Accessibility Uncovered”
Learned so much though with this piece, thank you for sharing!