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GOWEN HALL

GOWEN HALL. LSJ/CHID 332 Group #1: Holly, Tara, Mandy, Daniel, Jennifer & Aisha. Building Background. Originally built in 1932. It was previously the School of Law, but now houses the departments of Asian Languages & Literature, Political Science and Law, Societies & Justice.

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GOWEN HALL

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  1. GOWEN HALL LSJ/CHID 332 Group #1: Holly, Tara, Mandy, Daniel, Jennifer & Aisha

  2. Building Background • Originally built in 1932. • It was previously the School of Law, but now houses the departments of Asian Languages & Literature, Political Science and Law, Societies & Justice. • It also houses the East Asian Library on the 3rd Floor.

  3. Entrance from the Quad • Behind the trees is the entrance to Gowen off the Quad. This is not a wheelchair-accessible entrance. • Students with physical disabilities must go around to the backside of Gowen to enter.

  4. Wheelchair Access Entrance • The wheelchair access door is located on the east side of Gowen (the backside of the Quad) • This door leads to the basement floor with access to the elevator down the hallway. Auto-open button located at right of door Symbol which denotes wheelchair access entrance

  5. Access to the basement floor • Directly inside the door is a ramp on the right side of the hall that is 45” wide with no objects protruding into the ramp. • There is a railing on the left side of the ramp to assist any visually-impaired visitors.

  6. Emergency Exit Accommodations • At the bottom of the legend is the symbol which marks Accessibility. • Coincidentally, this map has no such markings on it. • In the case of a fire, persons requiring wheelchair access to exit would have to use the elevator. If it is not in service, students would have to help carry disabled students out of the building.

  7. Parking Accessibility • Outside the wheelchair access door, there are 2 parking spots for disabled drivers. • There is also a dial-a-ride shuttle stop for those who need assistance getting to and from different points on campus. • We recommend having clearer markings painted on the dial-a-ride drop-off area to make drivers more aware of the area.

  8. Parking continued • One of the available spots has a 5-ft access aisle, the other spot does not. • We recommend making the other parking spot wheelchair-accessible; this would necessitate reducing the number of non-disabled parking spots in favor of increasing accessibility for drivers with disabilities. The spot on the left is extra-wide to allow wheelchair drivers space to exit their vehicle. The spot on the right does not have extra clearance space.

  9. Gowen 201 • Gowen 201 is the second largest lecture hall with seating for 105 students. • Chairs are free-standing throughout the classroom. • There are multiple wheelchair-accessible desks at the front of the room.

  10. Gowen 201 • Gowen 201 is a much more accessible classroom compared to 301. The main entrance accommodates students with disabilities by having an electrical door operated by a push button. Wheelchair-Access door with push-button access Auto-open door button from inside 201

  11. Gowen 201 • Gowen 201 has a wheelchair-access ramp that leads down to the front row of the classroom. Wheelchair ramp There is a handrail that runs the entire length of the wheelchair ramp. Students have the option to sit at a wheelchair-accessible desk at the front of the room, rather than the last row, such as in 301.

  12. Gowen 301 • Gowen 301 is located on the top floor of the building. • There is elevator access to the lecture hall. • Gowen 301 is the largest lecture hall, seating 210 people. Floor Plan for Gowen Lecture Hall 301

  13. Gowen 301 Entrance • This is the main entrance (which is not accessible to students in wheelchairs). • We recommend installing a lift on the side of the stairway to allow students in wheelchairs to sit in the middle of the classroom instead of the very back. • If a lift were installed, disabled students could sit at these desks. We recommend removing 3-4 seats for wheelchair-access.

  14. Gowen 301 • Aisles in Gowen are narrow and have stairs . • This is the view from the wheelchair seating area. The seats are bolted to the floor which makes it difficult to maneuver around. • Aisle space between long tables is narrow. • This prevents wheelchair access.

  15. Gowen 301 Wheelchair Access • There is elevator access which leads to a large enough space for a full 360 degree turn around. • Space for persons in a wheelchair is located at the top of the lecture hall. • Individuals who are in a wheelchair and have visual impairments are disadvantaged greatly.

  16. Men’s Restroom • Inaccessible men’s restroom provides no directions towards an accessible one

  17. Men’s Restroom Continued • First floor map does not indicate wheelchair accessible restroom • No sign stating accessibility on restroom door • Door opens outward, making it difficult for persons with physical disabilities to enter

  18. Men’s Restroom Continued • Although unmarked, the stall has adequate space for a wheelchair to maneuver.

  19. Women’s Restroom • Inaccessible women’s restroom provides no directions towards an accessible one. • No tactile signage identifying restroom.

  20. Women’s Restroom Continued • There are grab bars behind the toilets, but the toilet seat is only 14 inches high. • Faucet cannot be operated with closed fist. • Bottom of mirror is 45 inches from floor. • Door is operable with a closed fist. • Stall does not have an area of at least 5 feet by 5 feet, clear of the door swing.

  21. Drinking fountains • All drinking fountains had spouts taller than 36 inches which is taller than the desired height. • All drinking fountains had adequate floor space.

  22. Gowen Hall Visually Impaired • Gowen is not equipped to accommodate individuals with visual impairments. • Braille is only found inside the elevator on the buttons and directly outside the elevator near the door. • Signs denoting room numbers, department locations, bathrooms, emergency exits, or fire alarm pulls are not marked with Braille.

  23. Recent Modification • Door hinges were switched to allow wheelchairs coming down the ramp to enter the room.

  24. Possible solutions • Add Braille to elevator controls, floor level indicators, and restrooms. • Modify elevator communication system to allow non-audible communications. • Provide directions to accessible restrooms from non-accessible ones. • Modify accessible men’s restroom door to push inwards. • Add symbol indicating accessible men’s restroom on floor map and restroom door.

  25. Possible Solutions • Install higher toilet seats to comply with regulations. • Install motion sensitive faucets. • Lower mirror and shelf at least 5 inches. • Lower soap dispenser providing an easier reach from wheelchair. • Put in a lower drinking fountain.

  26. Concluding Remarks • Overall, there are many crucial features that need to be updated to make the building more user-friendly for universal access. • UW should strive to make all the other lecture halls in the building similar to Gowen 201 with its ease of use and high level of accessibility. • A major concern is the entrances to the restrooms and classrooms. Optimally, they would be widened and have electrical push-button entrance capabilities. The current doors are too heavy to easily open and many of them fail the closed-fist test.

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