Columbia Crown 

Wheelchair Accessibility
to the Department of Psychology
in Schermerhorn Hall 

The Bad News:

  • Columbia's Campus is on two levels
  • Schermerhorn is on two levels
  • there are stairs at both entrances to Schermerhorn

The Good News:

  • You can go directly to the upper campus
  • the 6th floor of Schermerhorn is on one level
  • there are wheelchair lifts at both entrances to Schermerhorn
  • all psychology offices, labs, and classrooms are wheelchair accessible


The Details

The main entrance to Columbia's Morningside campus is on 116th street and Broadway. The route from this main entrance to Schermerhorn Hall, marked in red on the map, is not accessible to someone in a wheelchair. The main gate leads to the Lower Campus, from which there are a great many steps to the Upper Campus where Schermerhorn Hall and the Dept. of Psychology are located.

There are accessible elevators that will take you from Lower to Upper Campus, but since these are not always functional and may require a special key, we recommend the more direct route through the back door of Schermerhorn Extension.

As shown on the map, the back door of Schermerhorn Extension is just west of the intersection of 119th St. and Amsterdam Avenue. The security guard at the booth near that entrance should have a key to the lift, but it is still a good idea to contact Security in advance of your visit. Visit the Office of Disability Services web site for more information regarding campus accessibility. See below for information on alternate routes.

 

Accessibility within Schermerhorn Hall:

The various offices, laboratories, and classrooms used by the Dept. of Psychology are located throughout the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th floors of Schermerhorn Extension, and on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors of Schermerhorn Main. All of our offices, classrooms, and laboratories are wheelchair accessible, however getting to them may require two elevator trips in order to bypass the steps connecting most floors of the two buildings. The 6th floor has no steps and is the best place to cross from Schermerhorn Main to Schermerhorn Extension.

For example, to reach the Dept. Office in 406 Schermerhorn from the back door of Schermerhorn, you would:

  • ask the Security Guard at the 119th St. and Amsterdam Ave. entrance to operate the lift for you just inside the door to Schermerhorn Extension. [there's also a phone at the lift by which you can call Security]
  • travel down the hallway to the elevator
  • take the elevator to the 6th floor
  • turn left and travel through a couple of fire doors until you reach the classroom 614 Schermerhorn
  • turn right down the hallway through a set of double doors until you see the main elevator on your right
  • take the main elevator to the 4th floor
  • turn right on exiting the elevator and look for room 406.

Alternate routes from 119th and Amsterdam

If the wheelchair lift is not working, there are several other routes by which someone in a wheelchair can access Schermerhorn Hall from the vicinity of 119th and Amsterdam. Two of these routes are through the Engineering Terrace parking garage and a third uses the Service Building ramp near the mailroom. (The Service Building hallway leads directly to the 2nd floor elevator in Schermerhorn Main, and so is the most direct of these routes, but the ramp is not intended for wheelchairs and is too steep for someone in a manual chair.) Ask the Security Guard to direct you.


 

 

last modified by lep1 on October 22, 2006