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Embracing everyone: Ashesi’s accessible campus

Two minutes …

Sometimes even less.

This is usually how long it takes Nathalie N’Guessen to get from her office on the lower floor to Lab221 on the upper floor, where she teaches French. In the grand scheme of things, it really does not count for much. For Nathalie however, it makes a huge difference because she is largely dependent on a wheelchair for mobility.

“Before coming to Ashesi, I kept telling myself that there was no way a place in the middle of nowhere would be accessible,” said Nathalie. “However, when I arrived here I was just amazed to see how the place has been designed to be 100% wheelchair-accessible and friendly to people with mobility aid.”

Nathalie’s expectations of poor accessibility at Ashesi were however, not unwarranted. In Ghana, accessibility for people who rely on mobility aids still remains inadequate. While there is legislation for buildings in Ghana to ensure this, progress is slow and most buildings remain mostly inaccessible.

In the design of Ashesi’s campus however, from bathrooms to parking spaces, special attention was paid into ensuring maximum accessibility.

“At Ashesi, we try to ensure we do not discriminate, and this includes the way we design our facilties,” said Casper Annie, Director of Logistics and Facilities. “So we worked with the architects on the campus’ design to make sure it is accessible.”

For final year student, Ali Seidu’16 who relies on crutches to get from place to place, the alternatives come in very handy.  “I am able to use both the ramp and the staircase,” he said.  “Ashesi is different from most places I have been to in Ghana; navigating the campus is comfortable, where I can choose between the staircase and the ramp. Though sometimes when it rains, it gets slippery, and I have to be extra careful. However, the terrazzo on the ramps and staircases helps improve traction.”

With its growing community, Ashesi is thinking of more ways to improve accessibility. “The doors to some of the washrooms are quite heavy, so we are thinking about using lighter material for the doors or sensor-operated doors to make them easier to access. We also have to add more accessible bathrooms,” said Casper.

 

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