Wheelchairs
continued from page 1A
ally only use about seven seats if
their companion is not in a wheel
chair. She also said that four of
those 14 seats are held for students
using wheelchairs, even further
reducing the number accessible
seating to the general public.
Hays said Eugene is one of the
most wheelchair-accessible com
munities in the nation, and Mac
Court should be compliant with the
Americans with Disabilities Act.
The ADA requires 1 percent
wheelchair seating, 1 percent seat
ing for companions of wheelchair
users and 1 percent seating avail
ability for wheelchair users who
transfer from their wheelchairs
into regular seats for newly con
structed or remodeled facilities.
Based on these requirements, Mac
Court should have about 90 seats
for wheelchair users.
Protesters, however, claimed
that when Mac Court was remod
eled in 1997, changes such as the
number of wheelchair seating or
the installation of an elevator were
not considered.
“They have had over a decade
with the ADA and in terms of seat
ing, they have done very, very lit
tle,” said JuLeah Huckstep, a senior
majoring in educational studies.
Huckstep said she has had
enough and is now filing an affir
mative action complaint with the
University as well as a complaint
with file Department of Justice. The
protesters have also requested for
the Oregon Disabilities Commis
sion to review the University’s plan
for how to transition to a more
wheelchair-accessible Mac Court.
The Athletic Department de
clined to comment and referred
questions to Ken Lehrman, direc
tor of the Office of Affirmative Ac
tion. Lehrman said his office will
conduct a neutral fact-finding in
vestigation as soon as Huckstep’s
grievance has been filed officially.
The results of that investigation
will then be passed on to an ad
ministrative body, which will rule
on whether the seating at Mac
Court constitutes discrimination.
He also said his office will work
with the department of athletics to
add wheelchair seating apart from
Huckstep’s grievance.
“I don’t think it’s simply for us a
question of just providing the bare
bones minimum,” he said. “We
want to do better than that.”
Lehrman said that adding
wheelchair seating and an eleva
tor to Mac Court were in fact on
the agenda when Mac Court was
last remodeled. But plans to in
crease wheelchair seating to 20
could not become a reality be
cause of fire safety requirements.
He also said the possibility of
having an elevator in Mac Court
will need to be investigated be
cause of the building’s old age. But
improvements wjll be made no
matter what the administrative
body rules, he said.
“Changes would be made be
tween now and next year, certain
ly before thq start of the basketball
season next year,” Lehrman said.
Melissa Mueller said she came
to not only protest the inconsistent
way the available space is utilized.
“I just want to be able to see the
games. It really feeds my soul be
ing part of the community,”
Mueller said.
John Barrett was the only pro
tester who had a spot at Friday
night’s Civil War game secured.
Although he was looking forward
to the game, he felt he was taking a
seat from the other protesters.
“The unfortunate thing is that I
shut other people out who are here
today,” he said.
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