Accessibility
"Accessible means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally and independently as a person without a disability." - OCR Compliance Review #15-13-6001
With that definition in mind, here are some examples of what may count as a barrier:
- Physical - A broken automatic door, or parking spots or sidewalks covered in debris or snow
- Digital - Scanned PDFs that are cannot be read by software such as JAWS or Read&Write
- Programmatic - A faculty or staff member refusing to accommodate a student's disability
- Attitudinal - The belief that students are not smart or capable enough to attend university because they have a disability
So, what exactly is Montana Tech doing to decrease accessibility barriers? Please see our non-exhaustive list that will be updated periodically as more progress is made.
- Obtained a license for Read&Write so that students, staff, and faculty have free access to a text-to-speech program.
- Created a seperate office exclusively dedicated to accessibility and disability accommodations.
- Redesigned our website and integrated with Cascade CMS, which checks for accessible content.
- Created the "Report Accessibility Barriers" form for students, staff, faculty, and visitors to report any accessibility barriers encountered at Montana Tech.
Future Initiatives
- Renovations on Main Hall, Engineering Hall, and Prospector Hall.
- Assessments for accessibility by MonTECH for our website and physical campus.
Students and visitors to campus should be aware that Butte sits at a very high altitude and there is a risk of altitude sickness or shortness of breath until you have acclimated to the climate. Our campus is situated on several hills, so those with mobility issues should take necessary precautions. Winters are long, dry, and cold, with temperatures sometimes in the negatives.
There are some buildings on campus that are over 100 years old and were not built with accessibility in mind. We do our best to accommodate students while preserving historic integrity. Two of our buildings, Main Hall and Engineering Hall, as well as one Residence Hall, Prospector, are set to undergo much needed renovations within the next few years. In the meantime, please be aware that there are no working elevators in those buildings.
All students, faculty, staff, and visitors must have a pass to park on campus. Parking is enforced during the Fall and Spring semesters, but not during Winter and Summer breaks. Our campus map showcases accessible parking spots and the locations of bus stops and automatic doors.
- Purchase a campus parking pass
- Request a temporary Disability Placard
- Purchase a permanent Disability Placard
To request snow removal in an accessible parking spot or anywhere else on campus, please contact Physical Facilities at 406-496-4168 or by submitting a work order.
We can't solve a problem we don't know about!
Web Developer: 406-496-4400
I.T. Help Desk: 406-496-4244