An evaluation of the School of Engineering buildings at the University of Jordan with regard to accessibility

The study aims to investigate the accessibility in existing educational buildings in accordance with Jordanian National Building Codes - Building Requirements Code for the Disabled (BRCD) to promote the 'right to work' and 'the right to get the higher education' for Persons with Disabilities (PWD). The study has targeted School of Engineering (SE) buildings at the University of Jordan (UJ). The methodology consists of contacting officials in charge; interviewing SE students and UJ staff members, having certain disabilities; evaluating SE buildings according to BRCD renovation requirements for educational buildings; studying SE plans to compare the designed paths with the existing ones and to clarify the accessible areas of buildings' floors. The study has concluded that many BRCDs were not implemented in SE buildings, and many areas were inaccessible. Moreover, findings also demonstrated that new expansions were blocking the original PWDs' paths, and many obstacles that PWD faced, were not taken into consideration in BRCD. Thus, the study recommends referring to the newest international approaches to focus on the less considerable aspects in BRCD, as well as activating architects' role in determining building's future expansions and modifications and fending off new barriers to PWDs' paths.