Disability Caucus 2010 - Accessibility Award to Fairmont State University

The Accessibility Award is to recognize a business, a town, a city, or other entity which has overcome numerous obstacles in order to make its environment accessible to individuals with disabilities. The entity recognized will have shown a real commitment to meeting or exceeding the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

Fairmont State University has worked diligently over the years to provide program access, physical access, and employment access. Most recently, this year's honoree completed an overwhelming physical renovation that literally required moving a mountain. This University invested $1.4 million dollars in a project to remove stairs, move earth, and provide access to the inner campus. They believed students with disabilities should have the same opportunity to participate in college life as all other students.

Creative planning was necessary to make it possible for people with disabilities to access the majority of the campus without encountering major obstacles. During the one-year construction project, more than one-million tons of dirt was moved and stairs from the entrances of four buildings were demolished. The inner campus now features wide sidewalks, several resting places with benches (both sheltered and unsheltered) automatic door openers and a grade of two percent or less throughout.

Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that the University isn't finished yet. Plans are already in place to make the remaining inaccessible buildings more accessible as funds become available and the buildings undergo renovation. Fairmont State University has gone far beyond a "good faith effort", has already made enormous strides, and has a plan in place to ensure the full accessibility of the campus for students, faculty, staff, and the public.