By Ella Ware
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), college students are entitled to wheelchair accessible bathrooms and entrances, but that doesn’t mean they always get them.
The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. It protects the rights of people with disabilities and ensures equal access to all aspects of public life, including school, jobs, and transportation. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 specifically prohibits disability based discrimination in education, including college.
At Grand Rapids Community College, the buildings predate some accessibility laws. Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall was built in 1923 and was acquired by Grand Rapids Community College in 1944. It’s been more than a century since the campus was built, so it would stand to reason that not every space is optimal for modern mobility aids. However, the ADA requires even historic buildings to comply with accessibility.
The bathrooms on many of the RJF floors are not accessible. The only bathroom on floor G2 doesn’t have a button to open the door at all, rendering it either difficult or impossible to get into for people who rely on wheelchairs. There is a bathroom on the third floor of RJF that is inaccessible because of the narrow door and sharp corners, and when you actually get inside, you’ll find that none of the stalls are big enough to accommodate a wheelchair.
The Collegiate reached out to Jim Vandokkumburg, the Executive Director of Facilities at GRCC.
“The college is required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable building codes. New construction and major renovations must fully meet current accessibility standards,” Vandokkumburg said. “However, many of GRCC’s existing buildings were constructed prior to these requirements, and some are considered “grandfathered” unless they undergo significant renovation.
Vandokkumburg did acknowledge GRCC’s responsibility to uphold ADA requirements.
“Still, we are responsible for ensuring overall program access and will continue to improve accessibility as we renovate and upgrade facilities over time.”
In regard to restroom accessibility, Vandokkumburg shared that there is a restroom on the third floor of Cook Hall that meets ADA standards. In RJF on the third floor, there’s an all-gender single-use restroom that is accessible as well.
“I recognize that needing to use alternate facilities isn’t ideal, but we want to ensure you have reliable, nearby options while we continue to evaluate longer-term improvements,” Vandokkumburg said. “If you or other students encounter barriers, you can report them to Disability Support Services or directly to our Facilities team, as we take these concerns seriously. I’d also be glad to meet or walk the space with you if that would be helpful.”
Jackson Botsford is the Accessibility Consultant at Disability Advocates of Kent County, a non-profit organization in Grand Rapids that empowers individuals with disabilities to live independently through advocacy, resources, and support for home, community, and employment. The Collegiate connected with Botsford via phone and asked for a comment on accessibility concerns at GRCC. Botsford confirmed that there is no such thing as a “grandfather clause”.
“They are correct that any new construction after 2012 has to be compliant with the current ADA-designed standards. However, their statement that existing buildings do not have to be made compliant until a renovation is performed, that they’re “grandfathered” in, is not correct,” Botsford said. “The ADA does not have a “grandfathered” clause in it. That simply does not exist.”
Botsford clarified that the ADA does have requirements and guidelines for historic buildings.
“What the ADA does require for older buildings built before 2012 is that there has to be a plan to eventually remove those barriers as soon as possible. When I say as soon as possible, there really isn’t a prescribed timeline under the ADA,” Botsford said. “They just have to make plans. They have to identify what is present, and they have to have the plans to eventually remove any barriers that are present.”
GRCC has completed renovations in recent years, but none have involved the bathrooms specifically. As a result, none of those renovations provided resolutions for any barriers in the bathrooms.
Botsford recommended that GRCC reach out to Disability Advocates of Kent County. They provide accessibility evaluations, help identify areas where the ADA is not being upheld, and assist in making plans to rectify those inaccessible areas.
The Collegiate reached out to Vandokkumburg for further clarification about what the term “grandfathering” encompasses.
“To clarify, the concept of “grandfathering” means that if building codes become more stringent over time, informed by ADA guidelines, the college and other institutions are not required to immediately renovate all existing restrooms,” stated Vandokkumburg. “Once a facility is approved for compliance, it remains compliant until the next major renovation, at which point accessibility standards will be reevaluated. As soon as it becomes practical.”
Vandokkumburg made it clear that GRCC intends to keep the campus compliant with the ADA and is willing to explore the logistics of modifying the restroom on the third floor of RJF.
“I want to assure you that we do not condone any instances of non-compliance, and I look forward to collaborating with you and others to maintain accessibility for all members of our community,” Vandokkumburg said. “It MAY be possible to modify level 3 RJF, and I’m happy to look into it further.”
Vanokkumburg stated that there are more accessible restroom options on campus.
“In the interim, GRCC has added numerous single-stall restrooms across campus, many of which feature ADA-compliant features.”
Read Ella Ware’s column regarding accessibility at GRCC here.
