I am writing to comment on a point made in the article ‘Equal Access’ that appeared in The Daily Orange on Monday, Oct. 17, 2011. The article was very informative in regard to the different groups on campus, including the new Disability Cultural Center, that provide service or a forum for disability issues. The article includes a quote from Stephanie Woodward, a law student and president of the Disability Law Society, in which she expresses her disappointment that the architects for the Dineen Hall College of Law building have ‘not taken the concept very seriously’ that universal design is ‘good for everyone, not just people with disabilities.’ I want to assure Stephanie and readers of The Daily Orange that the architects and the entire project team fully support the benefits of universal design, and we are taking the inclusion of universal design of the new building very seriously. The regular input from Stephanie and her peer members of the Disability Law Society, their faculty adviser Michael Schwartz, members of the Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee and representatives of the Burton Blatt Institute has guided many decisions on the design of the site, entrances, elevators, classrooms, bathrooms and overall circulation of the building. We look forward to continued dialog through the rest of the design process to assure the new Dineen Hall College of Law will be as accessible and accommodating as it can be, and I look forward to working with the new Disability Cultural Center to initiate further accessibility improvements across campus.

Eric L. Beattie

Director, Campus Planning, Design and Construction