University serious about access

The July 21 article on the house at 828 North St. owned by Southeast Missouri State University seems to imply that the greatest expense in renovation would be disability access, thus making people with disabilities seem the primary villains in the destruction of this historical building.

The university has a number of offices such as university relations and international student programs housed in old homes where functional disability access has been implemented.

United Methodist Campus Ministries has recently made great strides in making a similar house accessible with private funding.

Disability access is not the enemy of historical preservation, and I consider myself an advocate of both. As director of the Learning Enrichment Center and responsible for services for students with disabilities, I can assure your readers that the university's commitment to disability access is not determined by issues of cost.

I would suggest that those constructing homes today take disability access more seriously so that this will not be an issue for the historical homes of tomorrow. In light of an aging citizenship and a growing population with disabilities, this is only good business. Architects, look up Ron Mace's work on universal design.

KERRY H. WYNN, Director, Learning Enrichment Center, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau