Accessibility and mobility are important to all students on a college campus, but it is even more vital to students with physical disabilities and/or mobility aids. Access to a working and reliable elevator is necessary for reaching upper floor classes on time.
Being a frequent user of elevators on campus often means long waits, elevator malfunctions, or even breakdowns, leaving students to find new ways to class or being unable to attend their classes for the day.
Recently, Delta has been having problems with the Shima elevator, but is working to resolve the issues.
“Yes, the Shima elevator seems to have issues with malfunctioning. We continue to work with the various programs in the building that use the elevator to ensure they are not forcing the doors open or propping the opening, which will cause the elevator to shut down and need to be reset,” said Pinola.
According to Pinola, when Delta plans to make future renovations, elevators will be a part of that discussion.
Though getting to an upper floor via the elevator in a timely manner can sometimes be met with challenges, the possibility of an elevator malfunction happening when students are on upper floors is an even bigger problem.
If a student or staff member with a physical disability and/or who uses a mobility aid were to be stuck on an upper floor after an elevator malfunction, there are plans in place to safely get that individual to the first floor.
If an individual sees that an elevator is not working and they are in need of assistance, they should first notify campus staff and/or police of the situation. They can do this by contacting Delta on their phone, notifying a nearby staff member to contact someone, or by using one of the blue light phones on campus. These phones are most often located near the elevators.
“Many people think the phones are only for emergencies but they can be used for any reason to contact the police such as if they need to get back into a class to retrieve a cell phone they forgot in that class,” said Health and Mobility Coordinator Roy Juarez via email.
Once mobility specialists and campus police are contacted, they are able to provide necessary assistance, sometimes with the help of Delta’s maintenance department and/or Stockton Fire Department.
“If a student in a wheelchair or scooter gets stuck on upper floors because of a power outage or elevator breakdown we have a few options of getting them down. We have special wheelchairs that can lower them down to the ground. We use a chair called the Stryker Evac chair,” said Juarez.
Once the individual is brought down staff will usually not bring mobility aids, such as wheelchairs or scooters, down until the elevator has been fixed for safety reasons.
Elevators on campus were retrofitted about six years ago, after they had broken down multiple times within the span of a month, according to Juarez.
“The board approved the Elevator Repair and Renovation Project in 2013 through Measure L Bond Funds for $950,000,” said Director of Facilities, Planning and Management, Stacy Pinola via email.
The approved project addressed the elevators’ fire alarms, control panels, interiors, and mechanics.
Delta was able to move some upper floor classes to alternative accessible classrooms, which would be the course of action if this were to happen again. However, if an elevator were to unexpectedly break down for only a few days, it is most likely that these accommodations could not be made due to short notice, and some students would be unable to access their classrooms.