Tutoring center leaves disabled students at
Metro in the lurch

By Jill Burke
The Metropolitan

The  relocation of Metroās Tutoring Center has left the facility inaccessible to some disabled students.
The center was moved in July to the third floor of the St. Francis Center because of the lack of room in its former home, the first floor of Central Classroom, said Percy Morehouse, Metroās director of Equal Opportunity.

Brenda Mosby, vice president of Leadership Education and Advocacy with Direction, an on-campus advocacy group for disabled students, said there are two problems with the new location.

The glass doors on the first floor of St. Francis Center might be too heavy for people on crutches or in wheelchairs to open, she said. Additionally, the elevator is too small to fit large wheelchairs.

While those in smaller wheelchairs  might  fit into the elevator, she said, turning around to reach the buttons is difficult.

Vernon Haley, vice president for Student Services, said Metro has asked Auraria to look into motorizing the doors at St. Francis Center.

Haley added, however, that renovating the elevator to accommodate wider wheelchairs is too expensive an option.

He said  99 percent of Metro students who qualify as disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act are able to access the facility. Students unable to access the Tutoring Center have the option of scheduling tutoring sessions in other, more accessible locations, Haley said.

These alternative locations include the Assessment and Testing Center in the Tivoli and the Disabilities Services Office in the Arts Building.

Scheduling will take place through the Student Services office, Haley said.

LEAD is still concerned about the inconvenience this might cause, Mosby said. Some students might not be able to get tutoring as quickly and easily as they might need. Kelly Espinoza, Metroās interim ADA coordinator, said his office is looking into setting up a separate phone number students can use to schedule tutoring sessions.

Students can now schedule sessions at the Student Services office.

Morehouse said that the administration plans to move the Tutoring Center to a new campus building to be constructed in 1998. The plans are not definite, however, because Metro has not bid for space in the new building.

The tutoring center is not the only issue LEAD members are tackling this year.
Other issues members of the the group said they will tackle this year include:

š Working with the collegeās administration to compile a handbook for students and faculty spelling out their rights and responsibilities under the terms of the federal Americans With Disabilities Act.

š Getting Metroās student handbook printed in braille.