Almost every student and employee at ULM has been a victim of the stairs in the academic buildings:  the higher your destination, the more you dread the journey. Save for Sandel Hall, most people don’t have access to the elevators in the academic buildings.

With the elevators sitting seemingly vacant, many students wonder why they aren’t open for everyone to use . Though it is inconvenient for many people, the limited access to the elevators greatly benefits the people who actually need it.

As someone that has an elevator pass, the privilege of using them comes at a cost that is often steep . In addition to , I postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), an autonomic nervous system disorder that affects the heart among many other things. This means that physical activities like climbing, walking, and even just standing up leave me dizzy and unwell.

For the average person, taking the stairs means being winded for a few minutes. For someone like me, taking the stairs could mean a fainting spell, a dangerously high heart rate, or a migraine. Though I can take the stairs, doing so would put myself— and possibly others— in danger.

I don’t have the option to take the stairs at all. For those that rely on mobility aids like wheelchairs, crutches, or walkers, the elevator is their only way up. Opening the elevator to the public means long lines,  especially at peak traffic hours. With the infrastructure that we have right now, giving everyone access would put disabled people at an even greater disadvantage.

That being said, more people should have a pass: People with conditions like asthma, arthritis, and sprains are just as deserving of accommodations as people with heart issues and mobility aids.

For me, the process of getting elevator access wasn’t difficult, but figuring out how to apply was a little tricky since it is not well advertised. I worked with my neurologist to write a explaining how avoiding the stairs would be beneficial to my health. After sending that note to the accommodation center, getting access was as simple as filling out a few forms.

Being healthy enough to safely take the stairs is a privilege worth far more than an elevator pass. Though it would be nice for everyone to be able to avoid the stairs, the damage free access elevators would do to disabled campus goers would far outweigh the convenience it would bring to able-bodied people.