Disability rights are a human right.
Boston College (BC) is a federally funded private Jesuit University located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. Boston College's mission is to encourage students to promote social justice and equity.
However, BC is not following its own mission. New construction at Boston College has removed wheelchair ramps and replaced with flights of stairs making it impossible for wheelchair access, and in defiance to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and 504 Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as well as the 521CMR building codes of the state Architectural Access Board.
It has been learned that the current staff BC architect and designer was recently prosecuted by the Massachusetts Architectural licensing board for falsifying his license. There is no active ADA/504 Coordinator at BC. Students currently are not represented on any decision making board for access for students with disabilities on campus. Students have been threatened and removed for speaking up about the construction of access barriers across campus. These are apparent violations of the ADA and 504 Rehabilitation Act.
We the undersigned request for the (1) immediate removal of architectural barriers at Boston College with new construction (including placing an ADA compliant ramp with the newly constructed stairs behind McGuinn), (2) hiring a competent ADA/504 Coordinator, (3) hire a licensed architect to oversee all new construction; (4) appoint an ADA/504 access committee student representative with disabilities to make decisions about ADA and access concerns for students and others with disabilities on campus.
We the undersigned demand for Boston College to make ADA compliance a priority so all students, staff, faculty and visitors are able to equally enjoy all of the programs, services and provide wheelchair access to all of the Boston College campus.
