{"530741":{"#nid":"530741","#data":{"type":"news","title":"ADA Assessment Plan Aims to Transform Campus for All","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs a leading research institution, Georgia Tech is committed to a physical and academic environment that offers inclusivity and accessibility for all its 32,000 students, faculty, and staff. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cLike any organization, Georgia Tech is only as good as its people. It benefits us to do the right thing and make this campus as accessible as possible to attract and retain the best-of-the-best in terms of students, faculty, and staff,\u201d said Burns Newsome, director of Compliance Programs. \u201cBy identifying and addressing the accessibility challenges on campus in a logical and timely manner, the Institute can provide an exceptional campus user experience.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERemoving barriers for access on a college campus the size of Georgia Tech \u2014 which spans 400 acres and has 197 buildings \u2014 requires thoughtful planning and significant resources. To maximize accessibility with regard to both infrastructure and programming, the Institute embarked upon an American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Assessment Plan two years ago in partnership with the Institute for Human Centered Design.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to identifying obvious accessibility challenges such as curbs and elevators, the plan also looked at overall usability.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou don\u2019t have to have a defined disability to benefit from programs and facilities that are just easier to use,\u201d said Denise Johnson-Marshall, ADA coordinator. \u201cThe goal with the assessment and future action plan will make the campus user-friendly for all faculty, staff, students, and visitors.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo conduct an assessment of this magnitude, the Institute for Human Centered Design collaborated and coordinated with several campus entities, including Capital Planning \u0026amp; Space Management, Office of Institute Diversity, Compliance Programs, Office of Disability Services, and the President\u2019s Committee on Disabilities and Access.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to assessing building infrastructure and Georgia Tech\u2019s range of parking and transportation options, the study also assessed the 10 most visited websites, as well as programs, signage (including wayfinding), and graphics. Looking ahead, it also reviewed building projects that are in design, including the Price Gilbert Library\/Crosland Towers, Chapin Building accessible ramp, and French Building ramp.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study provided an assessment of where the Institute needs to provide Assistive Listening Systems and made equipment recommendations. Finally, the consultants, provided a review of the campus Yellow Book, housed in Facilities Management, with recommendations for future compliance changes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome of the recommendations, such as door-width adjustments and placement of signage, are already being addressed across campus. An Office of Compliance Programs has been created over the past year and a director and ADA compliance officer have been on-boarded.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe creation of the Office of Compliance Programs as well as the investment in resources \u2013 both people and informational \u2013 really speaks to the Institute\u2019s commitment to making this campus as inclusive as possible,\u201d Johnson-Marshall said. \u201cNow we just need the community to help guide these efforts.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003ENext Step: Submit Your Comments\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe next step is to garner comments from the campus community and use this feedback to create a campus priority list and associated 10-year ADA Transition Plan.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll campus community members are encouraged to \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/larm.gatech.edu\/ada-campus-comment-form\u0022\u003Esubmit their comments\u003C\/a\u003E on buildings and other campus areas that would benefit from accessibility improvements.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo view the summary documents, and learn more about the ADA Assessment Plan, including how to submit your comments, visit the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/space.gatech.edu\/ada-accessibility-georgia-tech\u0022\u003EADA Accessibility at Georgia Tech webpage\u003C\/a\u003E. All inquiries may be sent to\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ada-assessment-feedback@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eada-assessment-feedback@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech is committed to a physical and academic environment that offers inclusivity and accessibility for all its 32,000 students, faculty, and staff. To help establish priorities, the Institute needs your input."}],"uid":"27164","created_gmt":"2016-04-28 13:10:54","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:21:32","author":"Rachael Pocklington","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-04-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-04-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"531211":{"id":"531211","type":"image","title":"ADA Accessibility","body":null,"created":"1462204800","gmt_created":"2016-05-02 16:00:00","changed":"1475895312","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:12","alt":"ADA Accessibility","file":{"fid":"89343","name":"202830_accessibility_icon_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/202830_accessibility_icon_0_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/202830_accessibility_icon_0_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":38539,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/202830_accessibility_icon_0_0.jpg?itok=rhhVlCgn"}},"531221":{"id":"531221","type":"image","title":"Carnegie Building","body":null,"created":"1462204800","gmt_created":"2016-05-02 16:00:00","changed":"1475895312","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:12","alt":"Carnegie Building","file":{"fid":"89344","name":"carnegie_bldg_web_.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/carnegie_bldg_web__0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/carnegie_bldg_web__0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":692486,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/carnegie_bldg_web__0.jpg?itok=uyIBnwJo"}}},"media_ids":["531211","531221"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/space.gatech.edu\/ada-accessibility-georgia-tech","title":"ADA Accessibility Webpage"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.space.gatech.edu\/","title":"Capital Planning and Space Management"},{"url":"http:\/\/larm.gatech.edu\/ada-campus-comment-form","title":"ADA Campus Accessibility Comment Form"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"171987","name":"ADA accessibility"},{"id":"171988","name":"campus accessibility"},{"id":"35921","name":"Facilities Management"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:dmarshall@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJ. Denise Johnson Marshall\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EADA Coordinator, Office of Compliance Programs\u003Cbr \/\u003ELegal Affairs and Risk Management\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}