Mills College Settles Disability Case January 29th, 2013

Mills College has agreed to make its classrooms and other buildings more wheelchair accessible and remove other obstacles to the disabled in a settlement with the federal government, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

The agreement includes changes at 260 sites on the Oakland campus that government inspectors identified as apparent violations in a March 2010 survey, said U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag's office. Mills denied that it had violated disability laws and did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement.

Among other things, the college agreed to install more wheelchair ramps, handrails and grab bars, make some doors easier to open and adjust the height of some counters, drinking fountains and restroom facilities. Most of the changes are due by the end of 2014, while others are not required until 2023.

The settlement contains a partial exemption for Mills Hall, the school's oldest building. The hall was the college's original home when it relocated from Benicia in 1871 and has been designated as a California historical landmark.

Some office and meeting room doors are too narrow to meet legal standards but can't be widened because of concerns about historic preservation, the settlement says. It requires the college to relocate classes or meetings to other rooms when necessary to accommodate the disabled.

"We commend Mills College for its cooperation and commitment to providing people with disabilities unfettered access to its facilities," Haag said in a statement.

Mills, a liberal arts school for women, has about 1,500 students.
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