As staff and students returned to Roosevelt for the 2019-2020 school year, many noticed the new wheelchair lift added to the staircase outside of Admin two. 

It came as a surprise for many staff and students.. School nurse Walter Carl Gregg, remarked that, “I was walking around the hallway and happened to notice it was already in place.” As a member of the school nursing staff, Mr. Gregg would potentially be one of the people to operate the machine. 

However, the lift is not yet operable. According to Mr. Gregg, the lift is missing a part and will not be functional until it is fixed. Administrator Ms. Ayanna Briscoe added that “They told me that it was working, but there were some little measurement tweaks they had to make for smooth operation.” The wheel chair lift is currently being repaired and should be ready for use shortly.  

This downed equipment does not create a safety threat to any disabled or injured member of the Roosevelt community. The lift would only be used as an alternative to the elevator, and not in emergencies. 

Mr. Gregg explained, “In the event of a fire I’m not sure that we’re supposed to use it because it’s electronic. I think we’re still supposed to use the Evacu-Trac…Those are used in case of a fire for somebody who can’t walk down the steps.”

Ms. Briscoe expressed that she believes the addition of more accessibility equipment is long overdue and stated her appreciation for it. “It should have been put in place probably years ago but…the society is a little lax in making sure that there’s access for everyone.” This new accessibility equipment is a welcome change in the eyes of Roosevelt administration as the school strives to become fully equipped for all students and staff.

This new addition was also received positively by the student body. 

Senior Robin Lacson expressed how he believes it is an improvement for Roosevelt. “ I think it’s a good addition because like a lot of disabled or injured students have to use the elevator and sometimes they can’t really access those points [in the building] at the moment.”