University should support students with disabilities

Years ago, I attended IU as a student in the MBA program. It was at IU where I met my wife of 32 years. I have been proud of being a graduate of IU and of the quality of education I received. When my son informed me that he wanted to attend IU, my wife and I were very happy.\nBut things have not worked out as we have hoped. Our son uses a wheelchair. He depends on a system of accessibility to get around. He has encountered problems with the city buses having lifts that don't work, bus drivers who don't know how to operate the lifts, able-bodied people parking in handicapped parking spaces and cars blocking wheelchair cuts in the sidewalk. These are difficult obstacles for anyone to deal with. If these were the only obstacles, my son could handle it.\nLess obvious but more devastating obstacles involve insensitivity and lack of awareness. IU is known for fighting issues dealing with the environment and society. Why not turn some of that energy into making IU a great university for everyone, including those with disabilities. You would not let someone dump toxic wastes into Bloomington, so why tolerate able-bodied people parking in handicapped parking places? You would not let someone smoke in a nonsmoking area, so why allow the nonhandicapped to use the bathrooms reserved for wheelchair users? You would never frequent a place that says "whites only," so why would you schedule activities in buildings that are not accessible to the disabled? IU is rated in the top 10 in a multitude of areas. I think that being rated in the top 10 in accessibility would be its proudest achievement.\nWilliam H. Goodman\nLouisville, Ky.