College
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences (BCAS)
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-03 18:15:32
Major
Mass Media - Communication
Honors Course
Honors Research Project
Number of Credits
3
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2020
Abstract
This project consists of a series of journalistic articles pertaining to the level of accessibility for current students, faculty, and/or visitors with physical disabilities and/or impairments at The University of Akron. Journalistic articles were selected as a method of investigating and increasing awareness of accessibility in the given situation. Interviews were conducted with members of the campus and those, in addition to press releases, were used as the basis of the content within each article. The conclusion drawn from this journalistic inquiry is that while the level of accessibility at The University of Akron is not optimal for current students, faculty, and/or visitors with physical disabilities and/or impairments based on a few emergency situations that occurred, adequate and significant steps are being taken by the Office of Accessibility to make improvements. The series of journalistic articles generated was published in The Buchtelite, the student newspaper at The University of Akron. The researcher applied concepts from Agenda Setting Theory and set the agenda through increased coverage of accessibility with the goal of increasing awareness of this topic across campus. In addition to the text of the articles, photographs were also used to provide visual framing for the stories.
Research Sponsor
Julie Cajigas
First Reader
Kathleen Kulick
Second Reader
Dr. Val Pipps
Honors Faculty Advisor
Kathleen Clark
Recommended Citation
Parker, Megan, "Creating an Accessible Campus Environment" (2020). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1013.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1013