Advocates Push for Accessibility Tools Expansion

ACCESS

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“Students are encouraged to email or phone SDS if they encounter an accessibility issue or barrier at Cornell,” Parrott said. “This could include issues in the physical, academic or social environment.”

CULift services are an example of an SDS accommodation. The shuttle service provides access to classes and on-campus activities for students with mobility limitations. Students must get approved through SDS to gain access to CULift, according to Parrott.

Many students with disabilities can benefit from SDS accommodations. However, some students expressed room for improvement.

Natalie Suggs ’26 had a mobility constraint fall semester. Suggs qualified for CULift services but found that rides required extensive planning. To request a ride, Suggs said she had to do so by 10 a.m. on the business day prior to service.

According to Suggs, this time restriction makes it difficult for students who use CULift to go between their place of residence and central campus as they please. Students have to stick to the schedule they planned with CULift. Although they can call for last-minute rides, it is not guaranteed that a driver will be available.

However, Suggs is grateful for an overall positive experience with CULifts.

“They did a good job at generally being there on time for your ride and getting you to where you had to go,” Suggs said.

Prof. Charlie Green, literatures in English, taught English 1168: First-Year Writing Seminar in Cultural Studies with the special topic of Disability and Writing. He told The Sun that SDS should spread greater awareness of their services.

“I do think the University could make disability access more upfront, just in terms of announcing the services that we have,” Green said.

According to Green, there is an online accessibility map of campus, but it is challenging to navigate and hard to find. One way the campus could be more accessible is if this map was improved.

Additionally, Green points out that not all campus buildings have wheelchair access, and that it is difficult to find the narrow wheelchair access lanes when they are provided.

The DAU also advocates for stronger policies for students with disabilities. On Wednesday, March 1, the DAU is holding a Disability Day of Mourning to honor the people with disabilities who have been murdered by parents, relatives or caregivers.

“Our goal is to bring attention to inaccessible parts of campus and inaccessible systems that Cornell has, along with creating a community where disabled students can come together to discuss those issues and figure out what the best means of going about solving those things might be,” said DAU President Carson Taylor ’23.

Taylor explained that Cornell’s approach to accessibility policies is reactive rather than proactive.

“What we see a lot of the time is we’ll find something inaccessible on campus, we’ll find something that puts a burden on a student and we’ll bring it up to the relevant person authority, and their answer is, ‘I haven’t thought of that,’” Taylor said.

Taylor noted that Cornell could improve accessibility by addressing accessibility issues before a student has to reach out to SDS.

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“I think that [leaders] like to [emphasize] that [Cornell] was the first Ivy League institution to allow women and that’s wonderful, and that was revolutionary at the time,” Lewis said. “But it’s not just about [women] having a seat at the table. It’s about [women] being treated the same as well.”

The University refused to provide further comment when requested by The Sun.

Botanic Gardens Capture Carbon

Capturing carbon lecturer discusses carbon sequestration

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Gardens.

With the effects of climate change on our local ecosystems, the botanical gardens are taking action to ensure that accumulated carbon remains in its natural storage areas while simultaneously finding methods to accelerate the removal of additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“We are integrating new approaches through demostrations, research and classes to export new knowledge to others to increase the impact beyond Cornell.”

David Weinstein

“We are integrating new approaches through demonstrations, research and classes to export new knowledge to others to increase the impact beyond Cornell,” said panelist David Weinstein, emeritus senior research associate and forest ecologist in

Cornell’s Department of Natural Resources and the Environment.

To fully leverage the carbon sequestration potential of the botanical gardens, Cornell has initiated a plan that focuses on enhancing and preserving the gardens’ natural areas. This includes implementing better management practices for sustainable land use, limiting soil disturbance, controlling invasive species and utilizing prescribed fire to promote healthy vegetation growth.

By employing these measures, the botanical gardens can continue to sequester carbon and provide additional benefits to the local community, such as improved water quality, flood regulation and biodiversity conservation.

Serving as a model for other institutions and organizations seeking to address climate change through nature-based solutions, Cornell hopes these measures are a testament to the power of natural ecosystems in finding solvency and underscore the importance of preserving and protecting our planet’s natural resources, Weinstein said in the webinar.