Group Members: Gabby Grose, Madison McClure, Taylor McCulley
Independence Hall is a sizeable and long-standing lecture hall located on The Ohio State University’s campus and is an everyday classroom for an array of OSU students. The lecture hall’s seating for seven hundred and twenty-seven students allows for larger courses that many students are required to attend, such as general education courses and mandatory pre-requisite courses for certain majors. As students interested in Disability Studies, we’ve inquired the overall accessibility of Independence Hall through the usage of an accessibility audit. Within this audit is a selection of questions chosen from the ADA, as well as exercises established by professors Aimi Hamraie, Liat Ben-Moshe, and Dale Ireland, and contribution from architect Johnna Keller. These selected questions are used as a source of inspection that can evaluate the access of an environment for all individuals attending the university. Following the assessment of Independence Hall, we have discovered advantages, as well as disadvantages, based upon the accessibility for disabled individuals.
We observed upon entering the auditorium that the lighting in the lecture hall is very dim. As a result, we recommend producing more light in the room by inserting windows, if possible, or more light fixtures within the room for those with visual impairments. Students who sit in the back of the room, especially students who have visual impairments, would benefit from lighting improvements. In addition, we noticed that the single pencil sharpener in the room is too high for wheelchair users to comfortably reach. By lowering the height of the pencil sharpener, all users would be able to reach it in a comfortable manner.
Next, we noticed that only four seats, relative to the seven hundred and twenty-seven total seats, are equipped for disabled individuals. The few handicapped seats in the classroom are nearly inaccessible to wheelchair users due to their location. In order for handicapped individuals to get to the top of the lecture hall, where the seats are located, he/she would have to find a ramp outside of the building. Independence Hall does have a handicapped entrance; however, there is no ramp access for wheelchairs once entering inside the building. We discovered that the only way to reach the upper level of the lecture hall from the lower level is to climb a set of stairs.The stairs would also pose another problem if a wheelchair user wanted to communicate with the professor after class. He/she would have to exit the building and go through the back entrance just to reach the front of the lecture hall, which is highly inconvenient. By incorporating both a ramp on each side of the classroom and/or more handicapped seating, individuals with physical impairments would have access to the seat of their choice on both the upper and lower levels of the room.
The restrooms, on the other hand, are very accessible. We immediately noticed the handicap buttons that are located on each side of the restroom doors, as well as the braille located on the restroom signs. In addition, we noted that at least one of the stalls in each restroom are handicap accessible, as well as the light switches, paper towel dispensers, sinks, and soaps all being within reach. In contrast, the water fountain located in the hallway is too high off of the ground. It would accommodate all individuals within the building if another water fountain was added at a lower height adjacent to the original fountain. Furthermore, we recommend incorporating single-user or gender-neutral restrooms within the building to grant all students access to restrooms that correspond to their gender identity. The space would be accessible to a significantly broader array of individuals within the university if these simple recommendations were implemented to Independence Hall.
Those who utilize the building can give their best efforts to accommodate, but it is ultimately up to The Ohio State University to adjust to their students, based on their various abilities and learning styles. The university needs to take every student’s needs and unique disabilities into account. By doing so and implementing the simple accommodations discussed throughout this audit, the university could achieve much greater accessibility for disabled individuals, and lead to greater learning outcomes and student satisfaction overall.
References:
2277 Accessibility Audit 
I think that it is a good idea to add a ramp on both sides of the classroom, but to go along with that I think it would be beneficial if the handrail or railing extended along the entire wall. This would be beneficial for someone in a wheelchair to help maintain control of the speed that they are moving because the ramp may be steep. Having railings would also benefit someone on crutches or in a boot to help maintain their balance as well. A difference that I noticed between Oxley’s Cafe where my group did an audit and Independence Hall is that in Independence the bathrooms seem to be overall accessible. In independence the soap dispenser and paper towel dispensers were accessible. While in Oxley’s the soap dispenser and paper towel dispensers were out of reach from the seated position and not accessible. It would be a simple fix to make the bathroom accessible by lowering both the paper towel and soap dispensers to a height that can be reached from the seated position. This would make the bathroom more accessible for everyone in Oxley’s.
~Celeste Borgemenke
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It is crazy to think that one of the buildings most utilized on Ohio State’s campus presents some of the largest barriers as far as accessibility. I think at one point or another everyone at OSU has a class in Independence Hall. In addition to the many classes I have had held here, my orientation to Ohio State as a freshman was also held in this building. This building, being one of the largest lecture halls on campus, should be the most accessible. The fact that an individual unable to use stairs would have to walk outside the building and down the street to another entrance is shocking. I have always wondered what someone would have to do in this case but never took the time to truly investigate it. Adding a ramp is an excellent suggestion to improving the accessibility of this space, and with the way in which the stairs are laid out I do not think it would be a terrible difficult adjustment to make.
–Kaitlyn Willming
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I’ve been in Independence Hall many times, and it wasn’t until I read your audit that I took notice of just how difficult it would be for someone to navigate to different areas of the classroom if they could not climb/ descend stairs. My group audited a new dorm, so in contrast it seems that due to the fact that Busch is a living space, much more consideration was taken in terms of general space accessibility. I think Independence Hall could greatly benefit from a remodel, as it is an old building. I think putting an aisle down the middle with hand rails would provide accommodations those in a wheelchair, on crutches etc. This feature would also benefit those with visual and hearing impairments as they would have easier access to the front seats within the space. Also, I liked what your group said about adding windows. Beyond the general benefits of natural lighting, windows would not only benefit students who have visual impairments but also the general student population.
-Jordan Whealdon
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I have various classes in Independence Hall and never have I thought of how inaccessible of a building it is until this accessibility audit assignment. For how large Ohio State is, there are not many 300+ person lecture halls and the fact that Independence is one of only 3 or 4 is sad because it hinders many students education. I am shocked that only 4 seats are equipped for “disabled individuals” out of 777 total seats. During our audit of the Berry Café we also had trouble with lighting, we experienced too much lighting and harsh sunlight. You made a good point that if someone was visually impaired and physically impaired that they would be negatively impacted on their learning by only being able to sit in the far back where their wheelchair could reach. I think another recommendation for the space would be to add more projector screens throughout the room so it is easier to access them instead of just trying to look at the one in the front that is so far away. I like how you incorporated exact numbers because it shows a greater negativity of the space.
Taylor Tharp
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I am completely shocked that someone has to leave the building go to another level. I know this building is not that new but I am completely shocked. Unfortunately this is why we do not see more people with disabilities as OSU. I am surprised no one has fixed this yet. I am also surprised that the bathrooms are accessible. If getting into the building isn’t accessible having accessible bathrooms are pretty pointless. I have been in independence hall and I don’t think it is a good learning environment for anyone. I did not like how big it was, the lightening, and seating. I do not like to be crammed into any space while I learn and independence does this.
-Jamie McGrath
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When reading this audit, I automatically thought about the space my group accessed (11th Floor of Thompson Library) and how hard evacuation is. In situations like fires, elevators stop working, so the only way down from the 11th floor would be the stairs. Similarly, if a fire or other emergency happened in Independence Hall, evacuation could be difficult for those with disabilities, especially moving impairments. This lecture hall is a very uncomfortable space. I am an able-bodied individual and I find it hard to focus and be comfortable in a room this big. I also tend to sit towards the back so I can leave easier when class is over. I think this helps show that accessibility is not just for those with disabilities, but for all people. Users of spaces should be able to navigate and use the space easily and comfortably. The fact that out of all the seating available only four seats are “handicap” is a problem. I think many buildings on campus need to be renovated or re-built all together in order to try to incorporate Universal Design. This way, more people can have a chance at accessibility.
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Given that this lecture hall is so large and holds so many common classes for so many people, it is very surprising and disappointing at how inaccessible it is. The fact that there are only four seats for those with disabilities is unreasonable given that there are over 700 seats in the room. The fact that the different levels of the hall are only accessible by steps is surprising also and is something that I would recommend they change in the near future to better accommodate everyone. I have had two classes in this room and I never thought about the lighting before. Looking back now, the lighting is fairly dim and could make it hard for those with visual difficulties to see properly in this setting.
Maddie Bauer
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I have never really thought about how inaccessible this classroom really is. It comes at a complete shock to me that there are only 4 handicap seats in the entire lecture hall. That is embarrassing and actually problematic, because most of the classes I have in Independence are lectures with 300 plus students in them. Also, while it is a good thing that Independence has accessible bathrooms, it confuses me as to why the bathrooms are accessible but not the classroom. Wouldn’t you only use the bathroom if you were previously in the classroom? I also liked how you mentioned the lighting, because I have always personally found it slightly difficult to see the front of the lecture hall from the back due to the poor lighting. Disappointingly, the only handicap seats in the classroom are located in the way back. Clearly Independence needs redesigning, and this audit does a great job pointing out and analyzing the flaws.
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– Mike Collins
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