A Historical Analysis of Disability Accommodations at Beloit

The site of disability history that I am writing about is the campus of Beloit College located in Beloit, Wisconsin. Beloit College was founded in 1846, which was a couple years prior to the territory of Wisconsin becoming a state. Even today, the college remains within its own jurisdiction often referred to as the "Beloit Bubble." Beloit College, is a private, liberal arts college located in Beloit, Wisconsin. Beloit is a four-year institution of higher education that was founded in 1846 when the village of Beloit, Wisconsin offered $7,000 in materials, supplies, labor, and a small amount of cash. Together, this was the foundation of Beloit’s physical form. Specifically, this was for Middle College, the oldest college building northwest of Chicago that is still in academic operation, according to the college. Since then, the Beloit College campus has undergone many additions and transformations.

1. Pearson's Hall of Science
2. Emerson Hall
3. Beloit Power Plant (also known as the Powerhouse)
4. Rasey House

To add to the historical context of Beloit College, the 40-acre campus contains four buildings that are listed in the historic register. Also, the campus was built around approximately 1,500-year-old Native American burial mounds. The Beloit College campus is located on Indian mounds from ancestral indigenous territory that was stewarded by various tribes such as Potowatami, Miami, Ho-Chunk, Peoria, and Meskwaki. The mounds are linear, conical, or in the shape of different animals. The most iconic mound is in the shape of a turtle, which is also the unofficial mascot of Beloit College. The mounds were constructed between the years 400 and 1200 AD.

This campus has led the front on many progressive movements and ideas throughout history. However, there is work to be done regarding increased accessibility to many of the buildings originally constructed in the mid to late 19th Century. For example, the World Affairs Center (WAC) is one of the sites on campus that does not have accommodations such as wheelchair ramps, alternative entryways, or elevators for disabled students to navigate the building to attend classes held there or to even enter the building. The college states that in order to accommodate students with disabilities, accommodations must be determined prior to the Director’s deadlines and that students need to act on their own behalf to be considered qualified. This does not appear to be very accommodating or flexible to students’ various and unique needs. Does this mean that if a deadline has passed, the student must suffer through the remainder of the semester or academic year without consideration for accommodations to enable their success? Moreover, it appears hard to find a virtual tour online that clearly displays the entire campus and all of the buildings’ exterior and interior design.

Interestingly, there have been new additions to campus in recent years such as the Sanger Center for the Sciences that provides accessibility measures for students and others with disabilities such as elevators and activation switches, also known as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) buttons to open doors automatically when pressed. Many of the other buildings on Beloit College’s campus that are not accessible or barely accessible are home to many of the courses in the liberal arts rather than STEM classes. One of the few old buildings throughout the campus that has visible accessibility is Chapin Hall, a dormitory. Many of the other residential buildings containing college dorms and fraternity/sorority houses only have staircases that lead up and down the various floors. Some of the accommodation possibilities listed for students providing documented disabilities to obtain equal access to their education include the moving of classrooms to accessible locations, housing accommodations, and limited distraction areas. The college also goes on to state that such provided accommodations should “not cause undue burden to the College (1).” Why does it appear that a student with disabilities is seemingly viewed as a potential burden that must beat time constraints just to be given the same opportunities as able-bodied students? However, the admissions building named Middle College is equipped with two wheelchair ramps with railings facing each other leading up to the entrance. Of course, this is the face of the campus to visitors so an accessibility checkbox could be marked off at first glance without further scrutiny of the remainder of the campus tour. Beloit College also mentions that accommodations are not retroactive. I conducted a qualitative interview with the office of Learning Enrichment and Disability Services to dive deeper into the information that is presented on Beloit College's website as well as ask a few questions of my own to discover what the college administration's responses to these issues have been and what can be done in the future to bring justice for students with disabilities.

(1) Beloit College. “Accommodations.” Accessed December 17, 2021.  https://www.beloit.edu/offices/leads/disability-services/accommodations/ .

• Historically, Beloit College followed ADA compliance minimally.
• Renovating buildings is viewed by the administration as financially burdening.
• Accommodations were not thought of during construction of older buildings.
• Buildings that have been built since 2001 do meet ADA requirements.

Pearson's Hall is a building still in operation today at Beloit College. Pearson's Hall was built in 1892. There are alternative entrances, but none are accessible. There are no wheelchair ramps or elevators installed. Staircases are the only way to go up or down floors. The current use of Pearson's Hall is multi-functional. For example, there is a dining area on the main floor in addition to a cafeteria and lounge for students in the basement. Moreover, this is where many different departments such as accounting, financial aid, and other administrative offices are located. Various campus events are also held in this building. The construction of Pearson's Hall signified the expansion of science curriculum at the college and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. There were various renovations that occurred in 1931 and 1985 that consisted of flooring, plumbing, wiring, ventilation, and addition of the skylight at the top of the building. However, disability accommodations were not a part of such renovations.

Beloit College has offered scientific curriculum since the early 1850's. However, prior to the construction of Pearson's Hall, classes and equipment were restricted to a small wooden building (2).

(2) Beloit College. "Archives: Pearsons Hall / Jeffris-Wood Campus Center.” Accessed December 19, 2021.  https://beloitarchives.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/archival_objects/2535 

(3) Beloit College, “Beloit Magazine,” Beloit College, June 1992,  https://dcms.beloit.edu/digital/collection/magazine/id/1568/rec/1 .

Andrew Carnegie was known for funding the construction of new public libraries. Additionally, Mr. Carnegie funded 108 academic libraries in America. Specifically, in Wisconsin were two institutions of higher education that received the Carnegie grants for libraries which include Beloit College and Lawrence University. The Beloit College Carnegie building is still in use while the Lawrence University Carnegie building was destroyed after 1974 (4).

(4) Larry T. Nix, “Carnegie Was Also Academic,” Wisconsin Library Heritage Center (Wisconsin Library Association, August 26, 2008), https://heritage.wisconsinlibraries.org/entry/carnegie-was-also-academic/.

There are no ramps or elevators in or around this building at Beloit College. This building is where world languages are taught. The World Affairs Center is one of the older buildings on campus that has undergone different titles throughout the site's history. Before the building was renamed the World Affairs Center in 1964, it was the Carnegie Library named after Andrew Carnegie in 1905. There were extensive renovations in 1964, however, none of the renovations included accommodations for students with disabilities (5). If a student with a disability is enrolled in a course normally taught in the World Affairs Center, it is relocated to an accessible location elsewhere on campus. After interviewing the director of LEADS (Learning Enrichment and Disability Services at Beloit College), Angi Olesen, I learned that the installation of an elevator in this building would cost approximately $30,000 which the college's administration is not currently willing to spend to accommodate students with mobility issues. This approach from the college is much reminiscent of ableist views of universities discussed in Academic Ableism: Disability in Higher Education by Jay Timothy Dolmage.

"First of all, the university erects steep steps to keep certain bodies and minds out. Secondly, to retrofit our structure for access, we add ramps at the sides of buildings and accommodations to the standard curriculum—still, disability can never come in the front entrance (6)."

Pictured to the right is the main lobby of the World Affairs Center. Stairs are the only way to go from floor to floor. An elevator could be installed to make the interior of the building accessible. 

This is how the typical classroom appears inside the World Affairs Center.

An alternative entrance could be constructed from the outside (i.e., where the windows are on the left hand side of the image, which the College considers as “too costly”.

Pictured here is South College. This was constructed in 1858, a few years after the campus was founded. Today, this building is a multi-use building for the office of academic diversity and inclusion (OADI) as well as the McNair scholar office. There are no wheelchair ramps, elevators, or alternative entrances.

The Wright Museum of Art was established in 1930. This is where many art courses at Beloit College are taught. Currently, there are no wheelchair ramps and this building only has stairs leading up to the entrance.

During my interview with the director of LEADS, it was discovered that inclusion of signage such as braille and making sure signs are lowered have been more monetarily feasible in comparison to an elevator installation. If there are students coming into Learning Enrichment and Disability Services with something that is not neurotypical and needs to “pace in the back of the classroom”, the director of LEADS stated she could create that accommodation for the student. 

Some students are really struggling with the mask mandates who are hard of hearing so specific accommodations are made available to them such as the use of amplification systems and humanity shields so they can read lips. ASL interpreters are also available on campus.

Since many of the residential buildings lack in mobile accessibility, depending on the type of disability, students who require accommodations may live in the campus’ apartment-style building which includes private bathrooms and kitchens. 

For athletics, ASL interpreters show up for students’ practice sessions. 

Accommodations are only available to self-identifying students. If a student does not disclose their disability, the school does not provide accommodations. The director of LEADS expressed hope for there to be a normalization of disabilities that would result in more students coming forward to disclose their conditions that would require accommodations.

"I really think that normalizing disabilities is something to [aim for]. When I introduce myself to students at the beginning of the school year, I disclose my disability. I try to normalize it as much as possible." - Director of Leads

Contrary to the language on the website, accommodations may be provided at any point in the semester for students.

• I asked if there are any course offerings on disability justice at Beloit. The response that I received is that there have been a few projects that faculty have conducted surrounding the topic, but there has not been a specific course taught on disability justice.
• According to the data from the interview, reactive measures are taken more so than proactive measures to accommodate students. The administration is reluctant to fund renovations and elevator installations. Future research on disability justice in higher education could look to this case study as a template to inquire into the institution’s policy on disability services.

1. Beloit College. “Accommodations.” Accessed December 17, 2021.  https://www.beloit.edu/offices/leads/disability-services/accommodations/ .
2. Beloit College. "Archives: Pearsons Hall / Jeffris-Wood Campus Center.” Accessed December 19, 2021. Beloit College, “Beloit Magazine,” Beloit College, June 1992,  https://dcms.beloit.edu/digital/collection/magazine/id/1568/rec/1 .
3. Beloit College, “Beloit Magazine,” Beloit College, June 1992,  https://dcms.beloit.edu/digital/collection/magazine/id/1568/rec/1 .
4. Nix, Larry T. “Carnegie Was Also Academic.” Wisconsin Library Heritage Center. Wisconsin Library Association, August 26, 2008. https://heritage.wisconsinlibraries.org/entry/carnegie-was-also-academic/. 
5. Beloit College Archives and Special Collections. "Carnegie Library / World Affairs Center (WAC)." Accessed December 26, 2021. https://beloitarchives.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/archival_objects/2524
6. Dolmage, Jay Timothy. Academic Ableism: Disability and Higher Education. University of Michigan Press, 2017. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvr33d50.