In the fall of 2023 Riordan students came back to school with the opportunity to experience the new library and classrooms. With this new built in infrastructure, Riordan installed a wheelchair lift.
Facilities director Brandon Ramsey said, “It was initially for accessibility but it is also to conform to ADA standards.”
This is believed to be a step forward for the Archbishop Riordan community because previously this part of the school was not accessible to people with disabilities. Aside from those who need a wheelchair, Ramsey also said that “anyone with injuries and also elderly people who can’t manage the stairs” would benefit from the wheelchair lift.
Riordan student Julien Untalan ’24 stated, “It would have made life so much easier and as a former wheelchair user. I could not imagine the sheer ease of life at Archbishop Riordan High School if I had access to such a thing.”
Untalan was previously in a wheelchair and struggled to get around to certain places on campus.
Untalan stated, “I would say in all seriousness it was actually really, really hard to get from the classrooms in the school to the cafeteria because there’s no ramp.”
The lift reportedly will have annual inspections and is seen as a good investment towards the future of the school. With the growing school population each year, Riordan has really stepped up its ability for campus accessibility, and it looks like this is a trend that won’t slow down anytime soon.
