Old Well to reopen after construction to improve accessibility

The Old Well was closed from June 17 to June 28 while the University installed granite pavers on the upper platform of the structure. The installation was the final step in a series of renovations to make the Old Well more accessible.

The first stage of renovations to the well was more extensive, beginning on May 24 of last year, and concluding with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 20. During that time, crews constructed a ramp to facilitate wheelchair access to the upper platform of the well. They also made the fountain more accessible by removing the plinth — the base of the fountain — which it had previously stood on, lowering its height.

In an email to The Daily Tar Heel, UNC Media Relations wrote that supply issues prevented crews from installing the granite pavers last summer. Between when the plinth was removed and when the pavers were installed, the area that had been beneath the fountain was resurfaced with temporary paving. 

Similar to last summer, the renovations required the fountain to be temporarily removed from the well. 

According to a statement from UNC Facilities, repairs to the fountain’s plumbing will occur during this time, and it will be functional once it is reinstalled.

The total budget for the project was $390,000. Of that, $310,000 came from donors and the remaining funds were sourced from University trust funds, according to the email from Media Relations.

Renovations to the Old Well come amidst a wave of other accessibility-focused projects. According to the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office, the University allocated $5 million toward improving accessibility on campus in the fiscal year 2024. Most of the accessibility budget will go towards improvements in academic buildings, in order to make restrooms, elevators and classroom spaces more accessible.

Jane Thrailkill is an English professor and the director of the Health Humanities Lab at UNC, an interdisciplinary research lab that focuses on the areas of disability, culture and health. She said the renovations on the Old Well reflect increasing levels of interest in issues of disability and accessibility within the University, speaking about the growth of UNC’s disability studies program.

“Students are voting with their feet, finding that in the world we live in, issues of accessibility are huge,” Thrailkill said. 

She also highlighted more widespread use of accommodations in the classroom. 

“Compared with even just five years ago, in my classes, I have many more students who have accommodations,” Thrailkill said. “I think the University has certainly expanded in that area.”

Sofia Benson-Goldberg, a postdoctoral research fellow with the Center for Literacy and Disability Research Studies, tied the renovations at the Old Well to the social model of disability. Benson-Goldberg said that rather than focusing on changing the individual person, the social model focuses on fixing the environment to make it more accessible to all people.

“It means that we can actually change the environment to eliminate disability,” Benson-Goldberg said. 

She said that although the Old Well is primarily symbolic, making it accessible is valuable progress because it allows people with disabilities to participate in important traditions like drinking from the well on the first day of class.

Thrailkill and Benson-Goldberg both said they would like to see the University expand its accessibility efforts. Benson-Goldberg spoke about issues with accessibility in Bondurant Hall, which houses the Department of Allied Health Sciences, and also said she wished people would consider a broader range of disabilities when they think about accessibility. 

Thrailkill said that matters of accessibility are closely tied to the issue of diversity, equity and inclusion, expressing frustration that the University has recently rolled back DEI protections.

“I would want the University to express their commitment to accessibility, as they have, and I would like them to express their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion to make sure, again, that all students, all members of the broad community felt as if the University had their back,” Thrailkill said.

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