UPEI Disability Story
The UPEI disability story has been spread out over many articles and months. We’ll try and collect the main ones in one place.
Why care if students with disabilities have access to UPEI? It’s fair, it’s humane and it’s called for under the laws of Canada. When a young person with a disability doesn’t get a post-secondary education, they are likely to remain unemployed for their lives. That will cost the taxpayers of PEI $1 million dollars minimum in social assistance and disabilitity supports until they reach 65 years. Per child. Approximately 150 young people should be going to UPEI every year. Less than 20 are attending because the campus is not accessible. These costs are hidden in our already overpriced health and social services budget.
Accessibility is a combination of physical access and intellectual access. We are only asking for the physical access provided under law. The Charlottetown by-law mimics the National Building code which says parking should be a) as close to the building as possible but (b) not more than 50 meters away. Only 6 buildings are accessible. Inaccessible buildings are Wyatt, KC Irving, Duffy, Main, Dalton, Memorial, AVC Main, Steele, Cass Science, and Chaplancy.
Other buildings are fire and safety hazards for the disabled.
UPEI can build a $14 million sports complex in less than 2 years. It takes 7 years to make the campus accessible, including taking away parking we already had. UPEI is not trying to be accessible. Most of the new buildings are very disability unfriendly – they are hundreds of meters long with only one or two accessible entrances. The buildings lack safe exits and other features that make it easy for the disabled to get around.
The main stories to read There are 50+ UPEI stories can be found by searching “UPEI” or by selecting the “UPEI” category
UPEI disabled parking is way beyond reasonable
Guardian – UPEI to remove 3 accessible parking spaces from Main Building
UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan replies – there is no problem
CTV News Coverage
Priceless commercial
Trucks allowed not disabled
As far as possible, in a fire
