The most inaccessible building for disabled students at UNM is Marron Hall, said Bob Meyer, an architect at The Department of Facility Planning.
When Leslie Donovan worked at the Daily Lobo, two ramps were installed so she would have access to the newsroom. Donovan, who is now an associate professor in the University Honors Department, uses a wheelchair.
Meyer said Marron Hall is one of many projects included that need to be brought into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 by facilities planning.
The act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities and requires public facilities and institutions be accessible to people with disabilities.
Meyer said doors, bathrooms, water fountains and ramps at Marron Hall need work to be accessible to students with disabilities.
He said UNM has spent $2.8 million in the last 10 years renovating the campus so it is in compliance with the disabilities act and University business policy 2310.
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"We've spent quite a bit of money very carefully to make sure buildings and services are very accessible," he said.
He said the act gives the University 20 years to make the transition to full compliance.
"What percent the campus is accessible, nobody knows," he said.
Completing projects depends on the money the University receives. Funding comes from state bonds.
"As long as we're making good progress, we're compliant," he said.
Donovan said she has spent 30 years on the UNM campus. In those years, she has had to learn where to find access to campus buildings by trial and error.
"In general, most areas of campus are relatively accessible to wheelchairs," she said. "There is access to most buildings, but students are not aware of it."
Other buildings she said are hard to access are O§ate Hall and older dorm buildings.
She said there is a back entrance to Hodgin Hall, but it is hard to find.
She said it can get annoying to students who spend a lot of time looking for access to buildings.
"Students on campus are frequently frustrated," she said. "There is a lot of frustration because they can't get to places they need to get to."
She said access to buildings needs to be publicized more for students.
Student Tiffany Simmons, who uses a motorized chair to get around campus, said she was once 20 minutes late to a class in the mechanical engineering building because she didn't know where the access door was.
Simmons is a member of the Accessibility Services Advisory Board that began meeting in January.
The board is looking at how to provide information to students so they know how to get access to buildings.
A subcommittee of the board, called the Barrier Removal Committee, specifically looks at physical access issues for disabled students.
Theresa Ramos, operations manager for the Office of Equal Opportunity, said students who are disabled need to have information about how to access buildings and resources.
"The most important part is getting the information out," she said.
Ramos, a member of the board, said it is hoping to get maps on a Web site for students and create a centralized system to make it easier for disabled students to get services.
"Right now, they are shuffled from office to office," she said.
Donovan said there used to be maps with access routes available for disabled students. She said they were also available in braille.
Sabra Basler, vice president of institution advancement for communication and marketing at the UNM visitor's center, said she updates disabled students about construction on campus, traffic concerns, and parking problems.
She said she sometimes receives e-mail from students wondering how accessible a building is. She will walk the path to make sure it is accessible and the doors work.
"We are a wonderful campus because of our weather," she said. "It's so temperate. We are making progress, but we are limited by funds."
