Evolution of Disability Accommodations
Physical accommodations were greatly lacking at the University of Scranton prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The university made great efforts to make things more accessible and this can be seen today on campus in many ways. Over the last five years, the University has worked hard to meet legal requirements for accessibility. This has included doing such things as forming a committee to make recommendations on physical renovations, adding permanent or portable ramps at Smurfit, Jefferson and the Wellness Center to make them more accessible, altering doors at Jefferson Hall and The Estate, installing a lift at the Byron Center pool, and placing grab bars in restrooms across campus. All of these modifications and programs were implemented to make the lives of physically disabled students and staff easier and to have a more positive experience while at Scranton.
Prior to this things were not as easy for handicapped students. Bill Rinaldi's, one of the first handicapped students on campus, experience was very negative due to lack of accommodation. He struggled at the university but with the help of others was still able to graduate. Unfortunately, at the time the university did not provide the best of accommodations for him. However, the unversity did eventually get better and respond to the need for new improvements which were listed previously.