To most NIU students, college seems pretty routine—get up on time, get to class, read the assignments, take the tests.

Yet there are students on campus who have needs that have to be addressed in order for them to accomplish their educational goals.

Subsequently, NIU President John La Tourette established the Commission on Persons with Disabilities (CPD) in 1989 to help the university identify ways to make an education more accessible to students with these needs.

Earlier this week, the CPD held two open forums to allow students to make suggestions as to how the university can improve accessibility. The CPD is comprised of NIU students and faculty members whose job is to accumulate information and in turn make suggestions to La Tourette.

CPD member Jason Cartwright felt the forums were an eye-opening experience. “It’s ironic how much students take for granted,” Cartwright said. “For instance, the lighting in some of the older buildings makes reading and note-taking extremely difficult for students with vision impairments. In the interest of fairness, the needs of persons with disabilities must be addressed.”

The CPD serves as a watchdog of sorts, looking to see that the interests of disabled students are being met in compliance with the law.

Elliott Lessen, chair of this year’s hearings and an NIU professor of Educational Psychology Counseling and Special Education, said he believes the CPD forums have made a positive impact on the lives of NIU students with disabilities.

“Improved signage on objects, from doors to pop machines, have made certain areas easier to identify. Also, the ATM machine in the Holmes Student Center was lowered to accommodate persons using wheelchairs,” Lessen said.

Lessen also noted the new power doors and lower lockers at the Office of Campus Recreation as results of CPD input.

Despite gains made in the area of accessibility, this year’s meeting proved there is still work to be done.

“There is a need for a specialist to work with students with learning disabilities,” Lessen said. “Although NIU has personnel with experience in the area of educating such students, no one person is assigned the position. As a result, the needs of these special students are not being serviced.”

Lessen also expressed concern with the obstacles caused by construction, using the construction near the Founders Memorial Library last fall as an example.

“The landscape has changed dramatically, making familiar routes into potentially dangerous areas for persons with disabilities,” Lessen said. “Whenever plans are made for expansion or change, the needs of all NIU students must be considered.”

Governmental legislation also has attempted to establish guidelines for fair treatment of people with disabilities. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the more recent Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) have served to make such guidelines into law.