For some people on campus, ice, snow, and slush is, at worst, a messy inconvenience. For others, it is a bigger deal. Take, for example, the 19 staff members at the grounds department.
“We have 24 hours to clear all the major pathways and roadways that belong to U of T. Our goal is usually 12 hours,” said Stanley Szwagiel, manager of grounds services. Sometimes, that means starting early.
“Last Saturday’s snowstorm lasted well into the evening Saturday night,” he said of the storm on January 22. “We were in first thing Sunday morning. We had our full staff at 6 o’clock a.m., [and] worked all the way until 4 o’clock.”
But grounds staff aren’t the only ones concerned with snow on campus. Samson Romero, Deputy Vice President Equity at SAC, said that snow is an accessibility issue.
“People with physical disabilities who rely on a scooter or wheelchair will get stuck in the snow,” he said. People who use canes or walkers are also at risk on slippery sidewalks.
Julia Munk, coordinator of the Access Centre and former VP Equity at SAC, uses a scooter, and knows this fact all too well. On the evening of Tuesday, January 25, she got stuck outside the Woodsworth Residence.
“Samson had to push me through the snow because the ramp that goes to the door wasn’t shovelled,” she said. Once she got inside, she found a broken elevator. She never made it to class.
“You have to be really very careful where you go in the winter on campus,” said Munk. When there is too much snow on the sidewalk, it can be hard to tell where the pavement ends. Once, she miscalculated the edge of the path.
“The whole scooter fell off the sidewalk on top of me. I waited about 15 minutes before a car stopped to help me get up,” she said. Wheelchairs and scooters can handle a certain amount of snow, she pointed out. There has to be a fair amount before these things happen.”
“We do the best we can under the circumstances,” said Szwagiel. Blowing snow can cover areas that have already been cleared, he explained. And when the temperature dips too low, salt doesn’t work anymore. He also encouraged people to report problems to the facilities and services emergency hotline (416-978-3000) during business hours, and campus police (416-978-2323) at other times.
“We would like to know because we’ll get on it right away,” he said.
Samson Romero says that watching his friend navigate snowy ramps and a broken elevator has opened his eyes. He is concerned that accessibility isn’t a priority at U of T.
“I know we have to do more.”
