Kane Hall Architectural Accessibility Survey

1. Kane Hall Architectural Accessibility Survey • Law, Societies and Justice 332 • May 22, 2007 • Group Two • April Monastrial • Carolyn Thayer • Corrina Emerick • James Malone • Leisl Bauman • Megan Hanse

2. Kane Hall Overview • Kane Hall is a classroom-auditorium building • Kane Hall was built in 1971 • Kane Hall has the largest lecture halls on the UW campus; some rooms can seat more than 720 people • In addition to classrooms, Kane Hall also houses the Walker-Ames Reception Room for large gatherings • Kane Hall also houses a number of departments: • Classroom Support Services (CSS) • UWTV

3. Kane Overview, Cont. • Kane Hall is intended for large classes, lectures, gatherings and receptions • Many entry-level undergraduate courses are held in Kane Hall • Kane Hall houses both UW and non-UW activities, such as SAT testing and outside conferences

4. Kane Hall Location • Kane Hall is located in the “North Central” area • Kane Hall sits at the northeast end of Red Square • Kane Hall is above the Central Plaza parking garage and is relatively close to 15th avenue

5. Level Room Seats 1 110 230 1 120 440 1 130 720 2 210 245 2 220 240 2 235 125 2 234 20 Kane Hall Classroom Overview • The following table shows the size of each classroom in Kane Hall. This does not include the Walker-Ames room or any other rooms.

6. Kane Hall Accessibility Survey • Our survey of Kane Hall is founded on the “Facility Checklist” worksheet • Survey took place on May 1, 2007 • Survey was conducted during normal building hours between 14:00-16:00 • Questions on ADA building practices were addressed by referencing a professional interior designer and an ADA text

7. Kane Hall Accessibility Overview • Kane Hall meets most though not all ADA requirements • Most requirements are met at minimum level • For such a large and central building, Kane is not nearly accessible enough • Remodeling projects in Kane have failed to rectify many major problems • Many problems are not necessarily specific to Kane Hall

8. Cultural Construction of Disability through Kane Hall • Kane Hall is created with able-bodies individuals in mind; persons with disabilities have been “retrofitted” into the building as needed • As Mutua observes, accessibility and spontaneity are almost inversely related; in Kane Hall one must follow a very rigid and set path • Therefore, we must question why Kane is constructed in such a way - surely it seems not to be out of consideration for individuals with disabilities • Most accessible areas are in the basement of Kane Hall; this puts individuals with disabilities outside of the public sphere into a less visited place • Accessibility features and devices are often camouflaged which makes them harder to see as distinct from the environment • If disability is culturally constructed, what can we say about only doing the bare minimum as required by law?

9. Approach and Entrance to Kane Hall

10. Route of travel • NOT stable, firm and slip-resistant

11. Ramps • Too long, poorly designed

12. Kane Hall Signs • Sign for Kane Hall is poorly placed and designed

13. Curbs • Cuts are poorly placed

14. Parking and Drop-Off • Unclear, possibly dangerous

15. Parking and Drop-Off, Cont. • Van-accessible spots not marked well, confusing signs

16. Parking and Drop-Off, Cont. • Loading dock a possibility; poorly marked, shady

17. Entrance • Some inaccessible doors have no signs

18. Entrance, Cont. • Some entrances are poorly designed and lit

19. Accessibility Sign • Lacks needed information, flat print text only

20. Entry Doors • Most entry doors, when open, are 31” wide; poor signs; likely take more than 5lb/f to open

21. Emergency Egress • Some alarms do not have light indicators; very poor switch placement

22. Emergency Signs • Signs are poorly designed; no raised text

23. Access to Programs/Services in Kane Hall

24. Doors to rooms • Door pulls likely require > 9lb/f and are hard to open with closed fist

25. Obstacles in Route of Travel • Some objects protrude into the route of travel; hard to find with cane

26. Signs • Poor design and placement

27. Signs, Cont. • Poor design and placement

28. Seating • Wheelchair seating at front and back only

29. Seating, Cont. • Wheelchair spaces are filled with other chairs

30. Elevators • Freight elevator, usably by public, does not have tones or braille controls

31. Elevators, Cont. • All elevators do not have speech-independent emergency intercoms installed; poor signs

32. Usability of Restrooms in Kane Hall

33. Bathroom Signs • Not tactile; poor placement

34. Entry Into Bathroom • Awkward configuration and poor placement frustrate

35. Path to Fixtures • Very poor door placement; it is only 34.5” wide

36. Fixture Placement • Poor design complicates sink use

37. (not pictured - people were becoming cross) Lavatories • Rim too high, not enough clear space to floors

38. Additional Access in Kane Hall

39. Drinking Fountains • Spout too high at 43” & poor choice (in remodeled area)

40. Telephones • Very poor spacing; too high (57”); no signs for phones

41. Trash Receptacles • Poor placement in many areas

42. Fire Suppression Equipment • Missing; hope you do not need it

43. Questions