Lee students with physical disabilities are grateful for the recent changes that have made the campus more accessible, however, they look forward to more progress in the future.

Senior Leslie Hartman, a double major in history and communications with journalism/media writing emphasis, uses a wheel chair because she has cerebral palsy.

“When I transferred, [Lee] contacted me and asked exactly what I needed,” Hartman said.

Hartman was surprised at how much has been done to make the campus more accessible. Junior Hannah Moore, a history major, also has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

“I appreciate how most people [students and employees] have struck me as being willing to help me,” Moore said.

One change that has made Lee more accessible to disabled students is the new buildings. Dr. Gale Gallaher, director of academic support, said that the new buildings are more accessible than the buildings that they are replacing.

Gallaher said that some older buildings such as Walker Memorial and the Beach Building are still inaccessible, which raises concerns for students with physical disabilities who may have classes in those buildings. However, according to Gallaher, a classroom location will be moved if it is not accessible for one or more of the students.

Other improvements include more handicapped parking spaces and automatic doors controlled by buttons on campus. According to Moore, the humanities building is the most accessible building on campus.

Chapel has proven to be an important place on campus concerning accessibility. In the Dixon Center, physically disabled students have to sit in the back near the top, whereas in the Conn Center, students with physical disabilities can either sit in the back or in the front.

Moore said that she is grateful that several buildings have had automatic doors installed since she was a freshman, however she feels that Lee needs to put automatic doors on every outside door.

Another positive element of campus accessibility is the raised crosswalks on the road in front of the humanities building, Moore said, noting that the crosswalks make her more visible to drivers.

“There is always room to improve… we have made some nice progress,” Gallaher said.

As Lee becomes more accessible for physically disabled students, Hartman wants Lee to be ready for students with a variety of disabilities. Hartman said that being prepared will bring more disabled students to Lee.