USUSA votes in favor of additional ADA seating in Specturm

Aggie energy is on the rise as basketball season draws nearer, and Utah State University students with disabilities will soon be able to join in the games more fully. Recently the USU Student Association approved the construction of more disability seating within the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

Joe Beck, an architect for the Faculties Planning, Design and Construction, presented information in a USUSA executive council meeting about where and how the new seating would enable more students with disabilities to have a place to watch in the Spectrum.

“We’re really excited about trying this this year,” Beck said in the meeting. “Ultimately, yes, we need to have more distribution of seating for people with disabilities throughout the facility.”

Beck explained that the current plan includes removing the sections at the bottom of the concrete seats in the J-section in the southeast corner of the stadium.

“I think it’s a great thing,” said Athletics and Campus Rec Vice President Thomas Rogers, who is in favor of the new design.

The Americans with Disabilities (ADA) seating would consist of a raised platform where students sitting can have an undisturbed view. 58 seats will be removed to construct seven ADA seats.

An earlier plan was presented to the USUSA leaders, in which only 45 seats were removed to construct seven ADA seats.

But the plan was modified when the USUSA officers were concerned there might be a visual barrier when people passed in front of the seating. The officers were in favor of removing an additional row so students in the ADA seating would be more comfortable and have a better view.

“It’s showing that we’re willing to take it into consideration how they feel. I understand the loss of 13 more seats. It can be a lot, but I think that if we look at this, it shows we are sacrificing for them,” said USUSA President Trevor Olsen in the executive council meeting. “I think for us to be fair to the students this is our best option.”

In taking out an extra row of seating, students seated in the ADA section would have a free range of vision above an average 6-foot-tall person walking underneath. This is beneficial as the section where the construction is planned is a high traffic area, with Aggie Ice Cream and bathrooms sharing the adjacent space.

“This is sort of a pilot program,” Beck said. “We’re sorely short on ADA seating in the building. We’re supposed to have approximately seven locations within the building.”

According to the ADA National Network website, the ADA “requires many government and private organizations (entities) to provide tickets for accessible seating to individuals with disabilities at events where tickets are sold for assigned seats.”

Currently, Beck said, there are only eight to 12 ADA seats available, but space and distribution of seating would be the biggest challenges. One concern Beck voiced was the problem of policing the new seating, which will include a ramp and an open carpeted platform.

If this new seating is a success, he continued, there is a possibility of additional ADA seating on each corner in the Spectrum.

When asked how many requests were there for ADA seating, Beck said he didn’t have the specific number of requests, but that there was a significant demand.

“It’s a higher percentage than you can probably imagine,” he said.

The USUSA officers voted unanimously in favor of the new ADA seating.

—ashley.ruth.stilson@aggiemail.usu.edu