Ricky Ochilo, staff writer

Gia Campanella, a sophomore at Warren Wilson College, embarked on an exploration to study the challenges people on wheelchairs face and, more importantly, the lack of accessibility for disabled people here on campus and in downtown Asheville. Campanella explained that the project was for her Universal Programming for Adventure Education class, taught by Marty O’Keefe.

Campanella described her new found appreciation for people on wheelchairs. She discovered that there was not only emotional heartache but also endless physical strain.

The exploration was a one day adventure that allowed Campanella to become more aware of her immediate surroundings and certain conditions that non-disabled people are oblivious to. Campanella mentioned that she noticed things around campus that she has never before.

“I noticed just how many hills there are here on campus, and how steep they are,” Campanella said. Campanella explained thatthere were more tasks for her as she pushed herself along various parts of the campus. She explained that the stairs surrounding upper and lower Gladfelter made the building harder to access.

Apart from that, Campanella reflected on how small the doorways to most buildings on the campus are. In particular, she mentioned the entrance to Carson. In addition, Campanella discovered that in places like Spidel and Carson disabled people on wheelchairs would have no easy access to the buildings because of single entrances.

She maintained that to get into Bannerman a person on a wheelchair would have to go down two ramps to access Morse, then down the elevator where the person would have to go up another two ramps. The lack of accessibility on the campus makes it seem as if disabled people would be undergoing an obstacle course.

Another frightening scene for Camapanella was attempting to go down the hill from upper Gladfelter to the library.

“I was worried I was going to get run over, mostly because of the traffic, especially since [on] a wheelchair, you can’t really just jump out of the way,” Campanella said.

Socially, Campanella expressed deep satisfaction for the generosity and help she received. She explained that people were quick to assist her in opening doors and would make way for her as she approached certain buildings. Campanella maintained that she was thankful to students like Alex Babbit, who took the time to push her up the long hill toward Dorland and Schaefer. Campanella feels that she has developed a more personal understanding of what it takes and how it feels to use a wheelchair for mobility.