Accessibility of University of Botswana main campus Buildings to wheelchair users

Abstract

The built environment, including schools, has many architecturalbarriers which may prevent wheelchairs users from independentlygaining access to buildings. The purpose of this study was to assessthe accessibility of the University of Botswana’s (UB) main campusbuildings to wheelchairs users. A buildings checklist, participantobservation and interviews of wheelchair users were used to collectdata. It was found that the majority of the buildings were not accessible.Of major concern was the fact that most buildings which are usedfor academic and social purposes are inaccessible to students withdisabilities. Common barriers include steep ramps with no shade,marked but narrow, un-shaded parking lots, inadequate ramps at theentrances, high counters and lack of shaded pathways. On a positivenote, some institutional buildings were found to have wide doors, widecorridors, some ramps with rails, and some shaded entrances. It isrecommended that the existing buildings be modified to accommodatestudents with disability, to promote their independence and improve thequality of their social and academic life.