Five years ago, Margaret Leicester was cleaning her basement in Taos when a black widow bit her.
A week after she was bitten, she suffered a stroke that paralyzed the left side of her body.
"It made me deaf in my left ear and took away my eyesight all in one moment," sheˇsaid.
Leicester said being a wheelchair user at UNM is hard.
"The University of New Mexico is not handicap-accessible in the least bit, and more needs to be done at UNM and in Albuquerque in general," she said.
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Leicester said sidewalks, bathrooms and elevators are not up to par for wheelchair users. She wants UNM to address two major issues: better accessibility and transportation.
Joan Green, director of Accessibility Services, said a committee has been formed that meets once a month to discuss these problems.
Green said her department is in the process of updating older buildings and elevators around campus.
"Every time that an elevator needs work or a building is being renovated, the construction workers build everything in compliance for disability students," she said. "Larger volume buildings that typically hold more students and have larger classrooms are being targeted for repair."
Leicester said handicap accessibility on campus is important to her.
"You know, people in wheelchairs are people, too," she said. "These problems truly affect my ability to be on campus and live. I just want to feel like part of the group - to feel that I belong and to not be looked at funny because I am in a wheelchair."
Leicester said being paralyzed has made her aware of all the accessibility problems at UNM.
"If people only knew what it was like to be in a wheelchair, then maybe the issues would be taken care of already," she said.
Leicester said the sidewalks and streets near UNM have become less dependable because so many of them are under construction. They interfere with her ability to get to classes, she said.
"It's a terrible feeling when you come to a sidewalk and there is construction workers parked on it, or the cracks would topple my wheelchair over," Leicester said. "The problems come up day to day, and sometimes when they force me to go into the street or risk falling over, they can be dangerous for my well-being."
Green said UNM is trying to accommodate disabled people by making sure they have access to parking spots all over campus.
"As long as a person clearly displays their placard showing that they are disabled, that person is allowed to park anywhere on campus, unless it is otherwise marked by permit only or UNM workers," she said.
Leicester said she is determined to see accessibility improve on campus.
"I really do love going to UNM - don't get me wrong - but these are issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible, because these problems truly affect the lives of many students in wheelchairs," she said. "I don't mean to complain, because I am a very happy person, but action needs to be taken."
