Talking Stick - November/December 2010 - 10

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New Hall Brings New Opportunities for Students
For many students, it can be difficult to leave family and friends behind when moving into campus housing and starting a college career. But the challenge is exponentially greater when the student has severe physical disabilities that require assistance for everyday actions like getting out of bed or taking a shower. A new residence hall at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has risen to meet that challenge. The first new student housing construction at the school in 44 years, Nugent Hall is the country’s most accessible dorm for students with physical disabilities. The hall goes above and beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, with rooms that include features like remote-controlled ceiling lifts, height-adjusted amenities, roll-in showers with secure seating, and wireless pagers to summon help any time, day or night. The University of Illinois has already earned national recognition as a provider of student disability services, and they have a long history of working to extend all the benefits of the university experience – including housing – to students with disabilities. Their support service program (part of the Division of Disability Services founded in 1948 by the hall’s namesake, Tim Nugent) was the first one nationwide designed to enable students with disabilities to attend college. Other firsts include the first disability service fraternity (1948), the first curb cuts designed to accommodate mobility devices such as wheelchairs (1950), the first study abroad program for students with disabilities, in Aix-en-Provence, France (1965), and development of the architectural accessibility standards (1961) that are now accepted by the American National Standards Institute. The highly accessible hall, which comprises the first floor of Nugent Hall, is home to the Beckwith Residential Support Services Program and is staffed by personal assistants – PAs instead of the typical college RAs. These staff members, who are mostly UIUC students themselves, are available 24 hours a day to help the residents with their daily needs. Their secondary function is to allow residents to gain experience with the hiring and managing of personal assistants, with the ultimate goal of preparing them for independent living on campus and beyond.
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Starting the last quarter of 2010, the hall will house 17 Beckwith-supported students, all of whom use motorized wheelchairs or scooters for mobility. The upper floors of Nugent Hall house an additional 150 students, with plans for several hundred more beds to be added in the next two years. In this way, the hall allows students with disabilities to be more fully integrated with the rest of campus; previously, they were housed in Beckwith Hall, a stand-alone residence. The new approach provides a more typical social life and college experience for students who already face more challenges than do their fellow classmates. Programming for the Beckwithsupported students as well as their nonsupported hall mates is extensive, according to Jim Rooney, the university’s director of residential life. Two disability advocates (current UIUC graduate students) each plan a monthly program, while the resident advisor for the first two floors of Nugent will be organizing regular hall programming for supported and non-supported students alike. Additional diversity programming from the hall’s multicultural advocate will focus on disability advocacy education. The hall’s staff has also ensured that accessible transportation will be available for any programming away from the hall. “We have been planning for the addition of the program to our housing system for a couple of years,” says Rooney, and “our residential life staff participated in a four-part training series last year looking at the needs of students with disabilities.” Further training was arranged for dining and facilities staff this past summer. Even with careful planning and in-depth training, there have been a few mistakes. “The first night we provided free pizza as part of the Nugent Hall orientation program, but we didn’t think to order tables,” explains Rooney. “Some of the Beckwith program residents needed a place to set their food. We adapted, and they were understanding. We hope to do better in the future.” And if the progress so far is any indication, it’s certain this program will only continue to improve in its exceptional service to students with disabilities. For more information, visit http://www.housing.illinois.edu/ Current/Halls/All%20Halls/Policies/ Hallmarks%20Policies/ Beckwith.aspx.

http://www.housing.illinois.edu/Current/Halls/All%20Halls/Policies/Hallmarks%20Policies/Beckwith.aspx http://www.housing.illinois.edu/Current/Halls/All%20Halls/Policies/Hallmarks%20Policies/Beckwith.aspx http://www.housing.illinois.edu/Current/Halls/All%20Halls/Policies/Hallmarks%20Policies/Beckwith.aspx

Talking Stick - November/December 2010

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