With the disabled population continuing to grow the campus police is trying to keep vigilant for parking abuse.
“I see people who park in disabled parking and jump out of their car and then run to class,” Dr. Mercedes Thompson, professor of Spanish, said.
The abuse is difficult to identify since not all conditions that qualify a person as disabled are visually obvious.
“Sometimes people with placards have a condition that people can’t see, like a heart condition,” AnnLeiby english professor said.
“More enforcement of the disabled spots would help police should ask for the identification papers that come with the placard to verify the disabled is present,”she said.
With so few disabled parking spots on campus, many prefer to use the public transportation that is federally provided.
According to the Special Resource Center, Access Paratransit is an alternative mode of transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules.
“I take Access, its easier and after then trying to drive myself here,” Alan Truss said.
The Access Paratransit system provides more than 2.3 million rides per year to more than 74,000 disabled riders in the L.A. area, according to the Access Web site.
The ongoing construction all over campus is also making getting around campus even more difficult.
“With all of this construction going on, sometimes you enter a building from a ramp, but you never know if you’ll have a way to get out on the other side of the building,” Leiby said. “It is like a maze,”
The constantly changing terrain, coupled with people who try and multi-task while walking around campus can sometimes create problems for those who are disabled.
“If I had to be looking up and down at the same time, to watch for uneven pavement and for people running into me, if I did this all the time I would never get anywhere,” Leiby said.
What is nice to see, is people taking initiative and leading a helping hand when possible Leiby said.
“Many people are just not paying attention and others might feel uncomfortable asking if I need help, and other times there is just nobody around,” Leiby said.