The Illlinois Board of Higher Education denied NIU’s $645,000 request for handicapped accessibility improvements.

Sue Reinhardt, coordinator of NIU’s Services for the Handicapped, said many campus improvements need to be made, but NIU continues to neglect the needs of their handicapped population while other projects take priority.

“NIU has so many major projects in the works that it is impossible to stretch our budget any more,” said Eddie Williams, vice president of Finance and Planning.

Reinhardt described funding for accessibility improvements as a “vicious circle” because improvements have been requested for years, but are never funded because new projects receive higher priority.

“I don’t understand how NIU can give priority to these major devlopments such as new buildings, without first ensuring that all students have access to their exsisting facilities,” said Sue Haas, a physically disabled NIU student.

Reinhardt said the university seemingly “does not make any improvements until a disaster occurs.”

Anne Kaplan, executive assistant to the president, said although legal codes regulating handicapped access have been in place for years, “accessibility ends up competing with emergency needs such as roof repairs, which must be dealt with immediately.”

Kaplan added when access problems arise, NIU tries to relocate classes.

Reinhardt said improvements are needed at about 12 campus locations, including Still Gym and the third floor of Reavis Hall.

“We have students who are unable to reach their major department’s offices because they are not accessible,” Reinhardt said. The departments of communicative disorders and library sciences are two examples Reinhardt cited.

Raas said she is unable to participate in class projects which use special counseling rooms at the NIU Family Center because she cannot get into the building to go to class.

Although no accessibility funding was included in next year’s IBHE budget, Williams said NIU has received “the green light” on two projects to improve accessiblity to Wirtz, McMurray and Adams Halls.

Williams said the Board of Regents recently approved $125,000 to replace the 40-year-old Adam’s Hall elevator, which not only failed full-load safety tests, but was also inaccessible to wheelchairs.

Williams said accessibility problems in McMurray and Wirtz will be fixed as soon as possible, adding that a chairlift will be installed to connect the two buildings.

“We won’t just sit on our hands. However, the state does not give these projects priority. We will use internal funds if they’re available,” Williams said.

Raas said “NIU has made some improvements, but it’s sad to see them ignoring these problems until someone ends up taking legal action.”