Up to Code

Still, accommodations for people with mobility impairments have gotten a boost in the past two years with the renovation of Boylston and Harvard Halls.

Whenever Harvard engages in any large-scale renovation project or builds a new building such as Maxwell Dworkin, the University must comply directly with disability access standards set by the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB).

MAAB standards are similar to those set by the federal ADA--an anti-discrimination statute that set sweeping requirements for accessibility in all public locations throughout the country, including private universities.

But while MAAB must be met only when a building is renovated, all buildings must meet ADA code, regardless of whether they have been renovated since the bill's passage.

After years of renovations, most classroom spaces are now accessible in some form to disabled students, but many of the Houses and first-year dorms have much more limited degrees of access.

Harvard has not been forced to meet these standards since ADA is not a building code--it is a standard enforceable only through the courts, and Harvard has never been the subject of an ADA lawsuit.

"There aren't any ADA police out there," says David A. Zewinski '76, associate dean for physical resources and planning. "The only police mechanism is MAAB, and if you don't satisfy them you don't get your building permit."