As a newer Reitz Union goes up, the construction is slowing some students and faculty down.
With the colonnade entrance from the North Lawn and the path from the Reitz Union bus stop fenced off, the construction is difficult to navigate for students and faculty in wheelchairs.
Katie Shepherd used to arrive at the Reitz Union bus stop with 15 minutes to get to class. Now, the 20-year-old health education and behavior junior, who uses a wheelchair, must be on campus almost half an hour before her class.
“I know they can’t just make a path through the construction,” she said.
The Reitz Union is now only accessible through the entrances near Subway, Wells Fargo and the Welcome Center on Museum Road. Students and faculty in wheelchairs must go through a series of elevators and pathways to get to the other side of the building.
The UF Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Office Coordinator Kenneth Osfield said he’s received no complaints from students.
“It is a pain, but it is still fully accessible,” he said. “People with mobility disabilities have to go out of their way to get around.”
He said the ADA office reviews four different stages of the design process for every construction project on campus. The ADA Compliance Office worked with Reitz Union Project Manager Cydney McGlothlin to make sure the construction arrangements were compliant with ADA standards.
The renovated Reitz Union will have accessible restrooms on every floor and a new entrance to the Colonnade, which Osfield said always posed a challenge for students in wheelchairs.
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 9/3/2013 under the headline "Reitz Union renovations get in way for wheelchair-bound"
