Our group chose to assess the University Hall Lobby for this accessibility audit assignment. We chose this space because of the unique architectural design and the rich history the first building on Ohio State’s campus. University Hall was constructed in the year 1874, but was demolished in 1971. Five years after being torn down, it was then rebuilt and modernized in the year 1976.
What does “accessible” mean?
When an environment can be used by everyone, regardless of physical, mental, cognitive, visual or hearing ability, then it is accessible.
Accessible Features:
University Hall does a great job at labeling room numbers and locations with not only visual letters and numbers, but also Braille to support those with visual disabilities.
All of the hallways are wide making it easy to navigate. The halls could contain small crowds of 15-20 people at one time without being too close to others. People could stand side by side with ease.
Inaccessible Features:
Before you reach the stalls and sinks, you have to go down a small hallway and then turn. Unfortunately, the restrooms in University Hall has furniture making it challenging to make the turn in to the main restroom area if you are using a wheelchair.
In order to access the main doors, you have to climb up a small set of stairs. For those who are unable to use the stairs, a handicap sign is posted on the door with an arrow directing you to the accessible entrance. The door is a few feet back from the bottom of the stairs, so if you were visually impaired, it would be hard, if not impossible, to see. The path to the wheelchair entrance is uneven and riddled with cracks. The patio also leads to a door on the back right portion of the building. Unfortunately, it is not until you reach the door that you realize that there is a small step to get to the door and enter the building. This door also has a handicap sign posted indicating that you need to continue going around the building to utilize the accessible entrance. Once you reach the back left portion of the building, you will find the accessible entrance. It would be quicker get to this entrance if you went around the right side of the building but, the route is blocked by construction of the sidewalk and multiple bike racks. Ironically, on the construction barrier (which is facing Annie and John Glenn Ave) there is a handicap sign that instructs those with a mobility device to weave through the bike racks which are not wide enough to fit a wheelchair between.
Recommendations for Improvement of Space:
The concrete surfaces surrounding the building are cracked and extremely un-level making it hard to maneuver around the space to the SINGLE wheelchair accessible entrance. Leveling/smoothing out the surfaces and replacing stairs to entrances with ramps allows for more universal access and movement around/in the building. Most doors are heavy and difficult to open, so having automatic entrances to hallways, classrooms, offices, bathrooms etc. would make University Hall more inviting.
Recommendations for Utilizing the Space
For those who currently utilize University Hall, we have some helpful hints. The wheelchair accessible entrance is located on Annie and John Glenn Avenue. Therefore, it is easier to access the building coming from north campus versus The Oval. The elevators are located in the main lobby of the building and bathrooms are placed on opposite wings of the foyer. There is an emergency assistance panel located in the hallway off the lobby.
2277 Accessibility Audit 
While reading this blog post, I was surprised by how unaccessible this building is from entering. I’ve walked past this building many times and never realized how something as simple as the pavement could make access so difficult for an individual in a wheelchair. The fact that the accessible entrance is hard to localize would also make this process very time consuming to anyone unaware of this set-up. This is different from my audit on the 11th floor of Thompson Library because the main entrances of the building were both very accessible. Once the construction on the side of the building is fixed, I would recommend that the signage be changed to more easily see when the accessible door is compared to the building, perhaps by including a map.
Katie Del Angel
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This audit was wonderfully detailed and I appreciate the quality of the photos. I have to say I was not completely surprised at the lack of actual accessible entrances. That is common theme I am noticing among many other audits. Also, I have seen the construction next to this building in person and I find it ironic that they provide an “accessible” alternate route, but then the route involves weaving through bike racks. It seems to be evident that OSU is lacking in true accessibility, just small insufficient efforts at being accessible. If OSU went the extra mile and took the time to reevaluate what we consider accessible, we could probably improve many of these issues. When I compare this space to my audit, I find that accessible entrances and exits was also a problem. One thing I didn’t consider before your audit was the weight of the doors that aren’t automatic. If someone has no choice but to use the manual door, it would be even harder to do so if it’s really heavy. Great job!
Victoria Hockenhull
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I think University Hall was a great choice to use for this audit! With this being said, I think the issues of accessibility in this building are common through out many buildings on campus, especially with University Hall being the oldest building on campus. Although OSU advertises being accessible, the lack of accessible entrances to buildings like University Hall is kind of surprising. From what was described in the audit, it seems like finding and getting to the accessible entrance may be difficult for those with mobility devices. With the construction and uneven pavement it seems as though it might be impossible for someone in a wheelchair to use the accessible entrance. I also found it ironic that there was furniture blocking the accessible restroom. Something as simple as removing the furniture from the space would make the restroom much more spacious and easier for those in wheelchairs to navigate.
Kristan Loychik
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I highly enjoyed reading through your audit. It does a wonderful job of weighing out both the accessible and inaccessible features of University Hall. I’ve had a few classes in that building so I already had a few insights about how difficult it can be to navigate. Regarding, the “accessible” entry to the building, this would be a perfect example of how universal design can help everyone. Personally, I have walked on that cracked and rigid sidewalk and I have tripped and fallen a handful of time. I would like to think I am not the only one. Taking a small step of evening out the sidewalk and including a ramp would be beneficial not only to those in a wheelchair but also to the visually impaired and to clumsy people like me.
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Very good and thorough audit on University hall. I am glad someone chose this hall because every college seems to have a “University Hall” and it has some sort of historical significance to the school. As we see here this doesn’t seem to change with this building. Also with a lot of the buildings we see here at Ohio State I am glad you pointed out the sidewalks and entranceways being cracked and rippled. That is something I think is a little harder to highlight because it’s not technically in University Hall but is still vital towards the accessibility of the hall.
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I think you guys did a great job assessing the accessibility of University Hall. With the age of the building, I would be interested to know the comparison to other old buildings on campus. We have spoken in class about the intention of putting the accessible entrance in the back of the building and the message that it sends. Likewise in my audit of the Wexner Center for the Arts, the accessible entrance is not the main entrance. I think it is interesting that now we are placed in this building, the accessibility, or lack there of, will be more payed attention to. I also think that this area is in such a central location on campus. With that being said, there is constantly construction surrounding this building. This year especially, there has been an overflow of construction on campus that had been detrimental to students. I have constantly had to change my walking paths without notice of the construction taking place. Perhaps the university should send some sort of message alerting students when areas on campus will be blocked off or closed due to construction.
Awesome job!
Jamie Warrack
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