I may not “look” disabled, but I am. I have three diseases (including type one diabetes) that punish me even when I “do everything right.” They cause my phone’s medical alarms to go off during class and require me to carry medical supplies and devices wherever I go. All of my diseases are negatively impacted when one flares up, and I felt this happen during orientation week and the first week of school when unexpected exertion triggered my type one diabetes. This year, I was placed in Just About Music, a program house I was thrilled to join. However, upon moving in, I discovered that it has no elevators, which isn’t outlined on its CampusGroups or Housing & Residential Life webpages. Walking up the incline to JAM and then climbing its stairs causes my blood sugar levels to plummet, which in turn triggers fatigue, hot flashes, nausea, headaches and shakiness. Physically over-exerting myself lowers my blood sugar, so elevators are essential for me.
JAM was not my intended housing choice: I applied to Cornell’s Language House in February before applying to JAM but had not heard back from the Language House by the time I received an email about housing selection in April. I quickly browsed residence hall descriptions and, scrambling, signed my housing license for JAM on April 8, missing its “no elevator access” note. Sharing this vital information solely in the “Additional Details” portion of housing licenses is insufficient, particularly given the lack of communication and unanswered emails from Housing & Residential Life. I immediately requested a room change after I moved into JAM, but my original physician’s note for Student Disability Services only applied to classroom and testing accommodations, not housing. I was told to file a separate housing accommodation form, but SDS declined my doctor-outlined accommodations via email. I called SDS three times to no response, and on the fourth time was instructed to schedule an appointment, which they wouldn’t allow me to do for a week. Additionally, I discovered that room change requests wouldn’t be available until one month later. Unexpectedly, on the first day of classes, I was emailed an offer for a double in a building that met my accommodations (except having a single room), which I accepted, agreeing to pay Cornell’s $100 moving fee.
Many students — especially incoming freshmen, international students and transfer students — cannot visit their potential future residences on campus. They must rely on Cornell’s Housing & Residential Life website, which lacks key information for disabled students: elevator access. The Housing & Residential Life website states, "not every building has elevator access, air conditioning, wheelchair accessible rooms, and/or private bathrooms. Please see individual housing pages for more information." Other than Barbara McClintock Hall and Hu Shih Hall, none of the dorms, cooperative housing or apartments mention elevators, even if they do have them. Their websites do, however, mention no air conditioning, which is another important accommodation. If the absence of air conditioning is mentioned, why isn’t the absence of elevators? Why are ping pong and foosball tables mentioned but not elevators?
Many of the individual housing pages have links to community pages found on CampusGroups that also don’t mention elevators. I only found two exceptions: Mary Donlon Hall (which affirms having elevator and ramp access) and Low Rises 6 and 7. The Low Rise 6 and 7 page states, “there are no elevators in the Low Rises,” yet none of the other Low Rise CampusGroups pages (including JAM, which is in Low Rise 9) mention this, so it’s easily missed. Students must go through many rabbit holes before they find the information they need. The overwhelming lack of information, coupled with bureaucratic difficulty in receiving support over the phone and/or email, makes mistakes inevitable and makes one wonder if these processes are designed to be deliberately obstructive.
Cornell is for “any person, any study,” including those who require accommodations. We need transparency about accessibility and amenities in all residence halls, as well as prompt responses to time-sensitive questions. It would also benefit disabled students to have annual check-ups with SDS and/or housing to discuss their needs and avoid situations like mine. I didn’t know that this process would be this difficult. The websites, as they stand, are incomplete and labyrinthine. They’re impossible to navigate if one doesn’t know where to look, and the average Cornellian doesn’t; not everyone is afforded an Ariadne’s string of foreknowledge.
Kaelin Lamberson is a sophomore studying English literature in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at kml346@cornell.edu.
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