“Accessibility” is a word we hear often. But what does it really mean? According to the University’s inaugural Director of Accessibility Michael Barnes, the definition is simple: “Accessibility means that everyone should be able to get everywhere.” And while making a 275-year-old campus accessible is anything but easy, Barnes has some thoughtful plans in mind.
One important thing to know about accessibility is that it transcends one specific disability — or really disability in general, said Barnes. “So many of the changes we implement to make a place more accessible help people without disabilities, too.” For example: buttons that automatically open doors are critical for people in wheelchairs, but they also help a student who’s carrying a coffee and a stack of books, or a staff member toting an armful of boxed lunches.
The notion of improving experiences for everyone is at the core of Barnes’ mission as the director of accessibility. “We look at everything through the lens of experiential equity — or how can we make the experience the same for someone with a disability,” said Barnes. This often means that Princeton isn’t just building things that are up to code, which is rarely good enough for people with disabilities. Instead, Barnes and his team are tasked with implementing innovative solutions to ensure that members of the University community with a disability have the same experience as those who don’t, whether it’s navigating a construction detour or working in a lab.
One way to achieve experiential equity, Barnes said, is to involve stakeholders in a meaningful way. “People who rely on a space’s accessibility are the biggest asset in determining whether something is actually accessible. If I say, ‘OK, I need to make this website more accessible,’ me as a person who can see might think that the changes that I made work great on a screen reader. But someone who is blind is most certainly going to identify issues where I don’t.”
Since he started at Princeton in November, Barnes has been busy familiarizing himself with the campus and connecting with students, staff and faculty, something he would like to do more of in the months ahead.
“If you have any feedback about accessibility on campus, I would love to get together for a coffee and hear more about your experience,” said Barnes. “Together, we can make Princeton’s campus more accessible for everyone.”
You can reach Michael Barnes at [email protected].