The Traveling Wheelchair

777 Elsbree Street
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: 508-678-2811
http://www.bristol.mass.edu/

Josh, my friend and member of ‘Kenny & co’ is currently a student at Bristol Community College, which is located in Fall River Massachusetts. On Columbus Day he invited me, Tony, Ric, and Josh, my roommate to visit the campus to see how wheelchair accessible it is.

The college campus has multiple parking lots and all have many handicap parking spaces conveniently located right up front.

All the buildings have automatic entry doors that are wide enough to fit my wheelchair through and all have elevators that are big enough to fit my wheelchair and at least four more persons with ease. Accessibility within all the buildings is very good for persons in wheelchairs.

My friends and I found it very easy to find our way around this campus for there are many student Campus Directory maps located throughout the campus and in front of each building. The Campus Directory maps are very detailed and easy to for me to read for the print and map is large enough for visually impaired persons to see.

During our visit, we were greeted by a Security Campus Police woman who asked us what we were doing here on this holiday.  Josh gave her our Traveling Wheelchair business card and explained that he is currently a student here and told her that we were here to do a wheelchair accessibility review of the campus. She was very courteous and friendly and went on her way to make her rounds around the campus. It’s nice to see that this community college has security on campus.

All the paved roads and walkways are wide and clearly marked and easy for a person in a wheelchair to travel around the campus.

Josh told us that Bristol Community College currently has 600 students with disabilities who are actively registered with the Colleges Disability Services. These disabilities include students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, physically disabled, psychologically disabled and students with learning disabilities.

The Disability Service provides special accommodations needed by disabled students on an individual basis. Recommended strategies to capitalize on their strengths and to compensate for their disability are provided.

We then came across a beautiful water fountain located in the middle of the campus. There is a little bridge over the pond. On the bridge there is a plaque that reads; “Bristol Community College Reflection Basin.  This area is dedicated to the thoughts, the dreams, and the future of all members of the College community. Nothing can bring you peace but yourself - Ralph Waldo Emerson.”

Surrounding the fountain are benches for students who want to study or just relax between classes. The court yard is fully wheelchair accessible but one problem we noted is that the cement ramp leading to the water fountain is dangerously too steep for a person in a wheelchair.

I was in my manual wheelchair today, because I am still waiting for my Power Chair to be replaced and my friends found it very difficult to push my wheelchair up this steep ramp. It took three of my friends to push me up this steep ramp.

All persons in a manual wheelchair would need assistance to safely wheel their chair up or down this steep ramp. My Power Chair could make it up this steep ramp but my friends think it may even be dangerous for a person in a Power Chair to wheel down this steep cement ramp because their body could lean too far forward when wheeling down the ramp and possibly fall out of their chair.

I think the college campus should reconstruct this ramp and lessen the slope to make it safer for persons in wheelchairs to access ‘The Reflection Basin’.

After the bridge, we headed to the Commonwealth College Center. Josh told us that this is the building where the Cafeteria, Fitness Center, Financial Aid Office, Admissions Office and all the Guidance Counselor’s Offices are located.

The wheelchair accessible ramp leading to the main entry door of the Center is nice and wide and the slope is good. It is so wide that you can fit two wheelchairs side by side going up this ramp at the same time.  Josh told us that this is his favorite building on Campus. He told us that all students and professors are very helpful to disabled students.

Picnic tables are located throughout the campus and I found them to be wheelchair accessible. My wheelchair fit nicely at the end of the picnic table and I would have been able to enjoy a picnic lunch if we had only thought of bringing lunch with us.

I didn’t get to see a restroom for the College was closed but Josh has checked them out and told me that they are all wheelchair accessible and fully ADA compliant.

As we  headed back to our van,  we passed by a bus stop that is very wheelchair accessible. A wheelchair can easily fit inside which is great for when it rains. A handicap sign is posted on the booth at the bus stop.

Before entering our van my friends noticed a modern sculpture that kind of looks like a wheelchair. All my friends joked and laughed and said “it looks like the first wheelchair ever! Tony climbed up on this sculpture and showed us how it looked like he was sitting in a wheelchair. We all had a good laugh on the way back home!

 I thank my friend Josh for taking us to visit his campus and for gathering the information on accessibility for me.

I give Bristol Community College FOUR STARS for wheelchair accessibility. In order to earn the Fifth Star they would need to reconstruct and lessen the slope of the cement ramp that leads to the Reflection Basin so it safer for persons in wheelchairs. Overall, I found Bristol Community College very wheelchair friendly.