Although it is sometimes taken for granted how easy it is to get around the NIU campus for most students, Services for Students with Disabilities help students who do have a tougher time due to a disability.

This year, for the first time, the Huskie Bus System has offered a new accessible van to all mobility impaired NIU students who need it.

Another accessible van had been used by these students for eight years. However, the dispatch van was not part of the Huskie System and also was not offered for as many hours as was needed.

Sue Reinhard and Linn Sorge, co-coordinators of Services for Students with Disabilities, said the van is offered to students with a permanent mobility impairment.

“Our hopes are that everything runs smooth concerning the accessible van this year,” Reinhardt said.

The accessible van will be able to bring these students to each of their classes during the winter months. This “greatly” will help the students with wheelchairs, Sorge added.

“Without the accessible van, many might choose not to go anywhere because of the hassle,” Sorge said.

There are currently 15 to 20 NIU students who are visually impaired, 17 students who need to use braille and nine dog guides on campus, Reinhardt said.

“This is a unusually high number of students for a university of this size,” she said.

Services for Students with Disabilities also help students by equipping them with specialized routes to their classes. They currently are working to improve conditions around campus which might make it difficult for these students to get around.

However, there still are some things which need to be done on campus such as repairing some of the sidewalks, putting protective barricades around construction sights and the installing more electronic doors, Reinhardt and Sorge said.

“We must keep fighting (for these improvements), because there is a lot more work still to be done,” Sorge said.