Advocating for Access: Wayfinding Signage on Campus

A lack of wayfinding signage on campus makes it difficult for visually impaired people to navigate Point Loma Nazarene University’s campus. After recent investigations into PLNU’s elevator accessibility for physically disabled students revealed a need for improvement, the facilities department says elevator renovations are on the horizon. However, there are no signs to indicate elevator locations.

Wayfinding is an Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliant sign that points to the location of something. It may not be as efficient for visually impaired people, but it’s beneficial for physically disabled individuals who need to know where to access an elevator, according to Eric Remley, assistant director of campus facilities.

There are students on campus that are experiencing some level of visual impairment, according to Pamela Harris, associate dean of the Educational Access Center (EAC). Because the number is so low and there is a higher risk of identification, the EAC cannot disclose a percentage or exact number of students, Harris said. This is in accordance with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) guidelines.

Grace Cook, a media communication 2024 alumna, has retinal detachment in her right eye, and is blind in that eye. In her left eye, she has a lack of depth perception. Navigating a campus with many curbs and hills caused her to trip often.

“I quickly became aware of the hazards that were on [campus],” she said. “I had to memorize the signs that were there, and just make sure that I knew exactly where I was going at all times.”

Most of her classes were in Cabrillo Hall, where there are no hand railings for the stairs at the entrance. After speaking with the EAC about the issue, Cook said they told her they couldn’t add handrails to the buildings, but they could move her class to another building. 

It wasn’t until her friend told her about the “back way,” which has handrails, that she could access the building more safely. 

“The EAC hadn’t notified me of that when I had initially spoken to them,” Cook said. “There was nothing [no signs] to guide me to [it]. It was frustrating to say the least.”

Cook said the lack of signage around campus with large enough text also made it difficult to navigate. She said she had to get as close to the number on a door as possible to find her classes. 

“I just wish the numbers would have been bigger on the doors, so that I could see where I was going instead of having to walk straight up to the door, especially if there’s a door with a window,” she said. “The people in the class see you peeking in. It’s embarrassing.”

Even though there aren’t many visually impaired students on campus, Cook said, she thinks the wayfinding signage accommodation should still be implemented.

“There’s a lot more students with disabilities popping up on to university campuses,” she said. “The world’s evolving and society is evolving. Of course there needs to be more of [an accommodation] because you are going to get more disabled students coming on to campus in the future.”

In order for there to be a sign put on the outside of a building directing where an elevator is, there has to be a renovation of the building happening, or it has to align with the ADA standards of the year it was built, Remley said.

There is a wayfinding sign above the first level elevator in the Ryan Library and there is one in-the-works outside of Nicholson Commons, according to Remley. The process begins with the collaboration of the EAC and marketing department. 

As a part of the 10-year campus master plan, they work together on how a sign has to look, including font, style and background color.

Marketing’s role is to work as a liaison between the departments that have requested signage and facilities, according to Erin Togerson, director of marketing operations. They’ve helped with bike and building signage in the past year. 

Marketing acts on a design request after facilities and the EAC have approved it. Then, they send any design options back to both facilities and the EAC for their approval. Once everything has been approved, a third party is hired for the production and delivery. 

“We will assist as we can, but we can’t just hear from somebody that we need a sign and immediately go jump and have it created and put it up ourselves,” Remley said. “Not everyone understands code compliance when it comes to signage.”

Remley said that facilities has been making efforts to install wayfinding signs above elevators, but they can’t add any if the building doesn’t legally require it, according to ADA.

“I don’t get to suddenly say, ‘This is the way to go if you got a disability,’” Remley said, “because if it’s not code [ADA] compliant, and I’ve said this is the way to go, and somebody gets hurt, the university is going to be liable, and I’ve put us in a bad place.”

When buildings are in the process of renovation, one of the first things done is referencing ADA compliance, ensuring it’s up-to-date, Remley said.

Danielle Friberg, interim dean of students, obtained a new role at PLNU, director of university compliance.

Last year, Friberg was the Title IX Coordinator, but she also worked with the legal office. After her assistant and the ADA compliance coordinator left, there was no single place a student could go for all complaint matters. Friberg said she wanted to create a role that could provide that – director of university compliance.  

She said she meets with the EAC and campus facilities when any complaint is reported.

“I genuinely believe the university is really striving to not only meet the requirements, but to actually go above and beyond requirements,” Friberg said.

If there is a need for a building renovation for example, the university would go about hiring an attorney that specializes in ADA clientele, according to Friberg.

There have been no reported complaints regarding wayfinding signage or visual impairment accommodations, according to Friberg’s records from the past seven years.

“Ultimately, we should be prepared for when that student [visually impaired] arrives to make whatever accommodations are necessary,” Friberg said. “What I don’t know is if we should be proactive before that student even arrives on our campus. I don’t know if legally we’re required to have that.”

Dan Toro, director of campus facilities, did not respond after multiple attempts to reach him for a comment regarding the legalities of ADA compliance for wayfinding signage. Remley declined to further comment on these issues.  

If you would like to report a complaint regarding ADA, visit PLNU’s reporting page. For urgent situations, call Public Safety at 619-849-2525.