GOWEN HALL

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

• 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.

• Outside the wheelchair access door, there are 2
  parking spots for disabled drivers.

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
Mens Restroom

• Inaccessible mens restroom provides no
  directions towards an accessible one

17
Mens 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
Mens Restroom Continued

• Although unmarked, the stall has adequate space
  for a wheelchair to maneuver.

19
Womens Restroom

• Inaccessible womens restroom provides no
  directions towards an accessible one.
• No tactile signage identifying restroom.

20
Womens 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 mens restroom door to push
  inwards.
• Add symbol indicating accessible mens 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.