When most people stroll down memory lane to their college days, they're likely to recall the rhythmic bounce of a ball, the satisfying swish of a net and the electrifying buzz of the crowd at an athletic event.
Beyond the thrilling plays and scoreboard drama, a more personal memory often stands out: the person sitting next to them.
For some students with a disability, the vibrant and collective pride of the student sections — something many students yearn to be part of — remains out of reach.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) clearly outlines the need for inclusive seating arrangements. According to the ADA, "Public entities must provide wheelchair spaces and companion seats in assembly areas that are an integral part of the seating plan."
Scheumann Stadium and Worthen Arena are focal points for sports on Ball State’s campus. Here, students can come together in the student sections to cheer on their teams. Yet, for some, it highlights the struggles perceived by members of one of the campus’s largest minority groups.
For students with disabilities, the sense of community experienced in the student section can be hindered by a lack of full accessibility for mobility devices. Designated accessible seating areas are adjacent to but not a part of the student sections in Scheumann Stadium and Worthen Arena.
“I cannot dictate student behavior when it comes to those things, but we have to provide the access, which we do,” Ball State's Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell said. “We have the capability to distribute several thousand tickets to students for game day, and we’re not limiting it to one section.”
Sydni Hershberger, a third-year exceptional needs: intense interventions major, often encounters feelings of isolation due to not being fully able to immerse herself in the school spirit and social camaraderie that the student sections offer.
In high school, Hershberger faced barriers that limited her ability to fully engage in athletic events and school pride. This sense of separation was compounded when her friends ascended the bleachers while she remained set apart due to accessibility constraints as a wheelchair user.
"Football at my high school was hard because I couldn't get up in the bleachers to be able to sit with my classmates and friends. I would just be at the bottom," Hershberger said. "I would have liked to be able to go up there my senior year. We did have a slab of concrete poured so that my friends could sit at the bottom row of the bleachers by me."
Hershberger once again confronts the challenge of fully enjoying an athletic event alongside a larger circle of friends due to the limited group-friendly nature of accessible seating options at Worthen Arena.
The design of the accessible section inadvertently necessitates a division among her friends. Some stay by her side while others find seats across the stadium in the student section, echoing the separations she experienced in high school.
Attending a sporting event for Hershberger involves much more than simply purchasing a ticket and driving to the stadium. Essential to her, attendance is not only access to accessible seating within the venue but also accessible parking to accommodate her specially-equipped van.
This becomes particularly challenging during home football games at Scheumann Stadium, where the influx of fans creates significant foot traffic, complicating her travel and parking. To mitigate these obstacles, Hershberger arrives early to ensure she secures both the necessary parking and seating.
These logistical hurdles often overshadow the excitement and enjoyment that college athletics typically offer.
“Parking comes into that issue because there's a lot of sporting events where people like to take up just the front, normally the handicaps first, so that you can get in the stadiums faster," Hershberger said. "But I need the handicapped space for my wheelchair and my ramp for my car.”
These accessibility barriers not only complicate the everyday navigation of life for Hershberger but can also create a divide between individuals using mobility devices and their peers. This divide can significantly impact social interactions and experiences on campus, leading to feelings of isolation and exclusion, Hershberger said.
“They go in one door, and I have to go completely around the building to the other door," Hershberger said. "That cuts our conversations or just cuts things in general. Seating, public accessible seating, not being able to sit where all my peers sit or where my friends [sit] on a day-to-day or at sporting events or in the lecture halls, [is] hard.”
Bandith Carr graduated in May and plans on returning to Ball State for his master’s degree. For him, the experience of attending sporting events has been limited. Carr said he often feels disconnected from both the action on the field and the camaraderie that the student section typically fosters.
“I felt very isolated and kind of different from everyone because of my disabilities,” Carr said. “I did want to hang out with [my friends], but I wasn't able to … [My seat] was just for the disability section and not for everyone. They didn't have seating close to people with disabilities.”
Outside the realm of sports, Carr believes that Ball State could significantly improve its efforts to include the disability community in various campus events, such as pep rallies and other similar gatherings. He feels these events should be more accessible and welcoming, ensuring that everyone, regardless of ability, can participate fully.
“My freshman year, when we were being introduced to the sports team and everything, I didn't feel like I was going to be able to connect with my peers," Carr said. "I was put in the disability section, which is very separate from the normal seating, which I didn't really like because I wanted to be closer to people.”
The Ball State Beneficence Pledge states that members of the Ball State community “pledge to value the intrinsic worth of every member of the community. To respect and learn from differences in people, ideas and opinions.”
Carr believes that the lack of accessibility and inclusivity at these events undermines the university's broader efforts to foster an inclusive environment.
Carr feels that if these gatherings were more inviting and accessible to people with disabilities, it would significantly enhance their experiences. “I think it does kind of diminish [Ball State’s] efforts in some ways because they're trying to be inclusive, but being inclusive means you have to actively have other people, no matter what disability or abilities that they have to participate in," Carr said.
Carr recommends taking proactive steps to foster a more inclusive environment for the disability community and the campus society as a whole. His vision is for Ball State to create spaces where everyone can equally enjoy the sights and sounds of the game together.
"I feel maybe we could just add chairs and so the other people that are able-bodied will be able to sit next to their friends,” Carr said.“I feel that would make it so that I'd be closer to them rather than just trying to maybe yell at them from the seat in front of me.”
Faith Graves, a third-year student double-majoring in special education, also feels that the university does not adequately prioritize equal access for students with disabilities. She often finds herself feeling as though her voice goes unheard when she raises concerns about accessibility issues on campus.
This sense of exclusion affects her academic and social experiences but also discourages her from participating more fully in campus life. Graves believes that more effective communication and genuine engagement with students with disabilities are essential for fostering an inclusive environment where every student’s voice is valued and heard.
“I have reached out to disability services a couple of times about this issue, and I know other people who have as well, but they won't do anything about it because I think, personally, it's a pride thing, and they don't want to say, ‘We're not accessible,’” Graves said.
Director of Disability Services Courtney Jarrett said she has not received any complaints so far this school year, but that their office has received complaints in the past regarding the accessibility of the student section.
She addressed the students’ concerns in an email to Gonzo Barajas, the executive director of auxiliary services for sports and recreation facilities operations and event management, which was sent in September 2023.
She explained there were a couple of wheelchair users “bummed that they couldn’t sit in the student section” and asked about who she could talk to about moving the location of the student section to a place accessible by a ramp.
Jarret said Barajas responded to her email via phone call to inform her that the sports facilities department is not responsible for the location of the student section but rather the student organization Cardinal Chaos is. Jarret said she was told students should reach out to them with concerns.
James Nichols is a first-year graduate student and one of the students who hoped to address the issue last year. He talked to disability services when he first felt the divide from his peers at the beginning of the previous football season.
“Some of my students that I was friends with shared that it was really discouraging when we’re supposed to be a community that really promotes accessibility. They were being quite literally excluded from the student section and the student experience,” Nichols said.
He said they did not hear back from Cardinal Chaos regarding their accessibility concern during last year’s football season, however, Nichols received an email in January 2024 inviting him and the rest of the Alliance for Disability Awareness to a women’s basketball game in Worthen Arena.
Having concerns following the disappointment from the previous semester, he reached back out. He asked if the student section at Worthen is accessible to those who use mobility aids, highlighting his concern after not previously hearing back from the organization.
“Our members would love to be included and be able to access the section along with the rest of our peers. I would love to meet with someone to further discuss potential accessibility options regarding the student section for my students or help with the process to ensure accessibility,” Nichols said via email to Cardinal Chaos.
The email reply stated that, similar to Scheumann, while there was accessible seating in the arena, there was none located in the student section, with the caveat that they were going to work on the accessibility for the 2024-25 school year.
However, athletics said Cardinal Chaos doesn’t control the location of the student sections, and there were no plans to improve the accessibility of either Worthen or Scheumann in preparation for the 2024-25 school year. Athletics emphasized that while they work with them, the student organization is not a spokesperson for them.
Mitchell said so far in his 18 months at Ball State, he had never been contacted by anyone with accessibility concerns.
He emphasized that if such concerns exist, he is open to discussions. While Mitchell welcomes conversation, he said he and sports facilities can’t make any promises regarding this specific concern at this time.
“I’m not committing today to changing the configuration because I’m not so sure that what we have isn’t already the best option,” Mitchell said.
He also pointed out that the student section at Scheumann is in sections V and W, and a portion of the accessible seating overlaps with section V. However, Ball State’s history of filling the student section hasn't been consistent, often leaving a gap.
Mitchell said that while Cardinal Chaos did not decide where the student section is located, neither did he. It was established before he accepted his current position.
“I can unequivocally state that I have not been contacted. And I’m sensitive to these concerns and the individuals who have expressed these concerns … I’m happy to help. I just need to know,” Mitchell said.
Despite claims of equal access to the stadium, the perspectives of students who rely on mobility devices reveal a significant divide.
Every game day, as cheers rise from the crowded stands, students like Hershberger, Carr, Nichols and Graves remain on the sidelines — not just those of the field, but of the college experience itself. While most recall the rhythmic bounce of a ball and the swish of the net, these students miss the thrill of shared victories and camaraderie.
The vibrant, collective pride that electrifies the air, drawing classmates closer in shared highs and lows, is a scene they observe from afar. Until the full roar of the crowd includes everyone, the true spirit of unity and inclusion remains out of reach, leaving the tapestry of campus life incomplete.
Contact Dillon Rosenlieb via email at dillon.rosenlieb@bsu.edu and Ella Howell via email at ella.howell@bsu.edu.
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