Encouraging accessibility
Library strives to ensure service to all
It's easy for most patrons to never really recognize and appreciate the intentional and subtle design features of Park Library.
The buttercream yellow paint of the interior. No-slip fl ooring materials. Automatic doors. Wainscoting-type railing running the perimeter walls. Motion-activated restroom faucets.
But for students like Carrie Swearingen, many of these are the fi rst features they notice and celebrate.
Wainscoting-type railing 4
Swearingen is a senior history major and geography minor from Flint who has lived with Spinal Muscular Atrophy since she was a little over 2 years old. This neuromuscular disease – characterized by degeneration of motor neurons – limits her ability to walk, and she needs to use a powered wheelchair for mobility.
She says the universal design and handicapped-accessible elements of Park Library elevate it to what she considers the most accessible building on campus.
CMU senior Carrie Swearingen positions her textbook on the Student Disability Services visualizer located in Park Library. Swearingen, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, is one of more than 500 students registered with Student Disability Services.
