Arguing about Accessibility and imagining an inclusive environment- 1525 Clifton Rd
In 1995 the construction on the Emory Clinic began, and finally in August 1997 with fire delays the impressive 5 story building opened (Treadway, 1995, 1996). The clinic functions as the primary care for staff and students. Originally the plans included Health promotion on first floor, the clinic on second though fourth floor, and the fifth to be a rehabilitation physical activity center (Treadway, 1996). Located on 1525 Clifton Rd the building occupies 91, 000 square feet (Treadway 1996). This location is on a hill, making the entrance to the first floor higher than the roadside. Since its construction the building has received no physical updates, only interior department acquiring space and reshuffling (Friedman, 2011). The Clifton road, front, entrance is dominated by two fights of stairs to access the door. Wheelchair accessible ramps are present but overt. They are difficult to spot from the roadside or from the pathway leading up to the building. What does this architectural design mean for chair-users? Wheelchair bound individuals and non-disabled alike feel intimated by the front of this all-important building, and this inhibits the accessibility to the facilities inside to many on the Emory campus.