MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY TO MAKE CAMPUS MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE
WITH DISABILITIES, UNDER AGREEMENT WITH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Under an agreement reached today with the Justice Department, Millikin University, located in Decatur, Illinois, has agreed to make its campus more accessible to people with disabilities.

Today's out-of-court settlement resolves a complaint filed with the Justice Department alleging that a number of buildings and facilities on Millikin’s campus were not accessible to people with mobility impairments. Under the agreement, Millikin has agreed to make accessibility improvements campus-wide, resulting in a broad range of programs being more accessible to persons with disabilities, including academics, dining and living facilities, and social aspects of campus life.

"In order to provide equal access for college students with disabilities, colleges must be prepared to work towards making the entire college experience accessible," said Ralph F. Boyd, Jr., Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "Millikin University has set an example that other schools should follow."

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) requires privately owned places of public accommodation, including private colleges and universities, to remove architectural barriers to access where such removal is readily achievable and to modify policies, practices, and procedures when necessary to avoid discrimination. Under the agreement, Millikin University has agreed to:

• modify entrances, counters, food service lines, telephones, bathrooms, drinking fountains, seating areas, booths, tables and picnic areas throughout campus so they are accessible to persons with disabilities;
• create accessible routes to, among and within university buildings and other facilities by among other things, repairing sidewalks and curbs, modifying doors, ramps, etc.;
• install an elevator in the student union so that persons using a wheelchair can access each level of the building without the use of a platform lift and without going outside or otherwise leaving the building;
• add accessible seating locations to lecture rooms with fixed seating;
• add accessible seating locations and assistive listening devices to assembly areas;
• add signage throughout campus that can be read by people with vision impairments and so that people with mobility impairments are properly directed to accessible routes and spaces.

Ensuring equal access to education is a key priority for the Justice Department. Today’s out-of-court settlement regarding comprehensive accessibility of a college or university follows an agreement the Justice Department reached with Duke University in February 2000.

Individuals interested in finding out more about the ADA can call the ADA information line at (800) 514-0301 (voice) or (800) 514-0383 (TTY) or access the Department's ADA home page on the World Wide Web at: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm

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