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Thursday, February 9, 2023

DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM 3 CAMPUS/Vigil

AUDIO/NU Declassified

7 CITY/Drones

Candlelight vigil in Alice Millar honors Tyre Nichols

Built This: Student startup Caped Clinicians tackles new leadership

Evanston drone program remains on the ground

High 44 Low 28

Illustrations by Gemma DeCetra

Students with physical disabilities have spent years calling for better accessibility on campus. They say NU is not doing enough, leaving them in search of justice — and community. By NICOLE MARKUS

daily senior staffer @nicolejmarkus

After his wheelchair flipped over on one of Northwestern’s uneven sidewalks last spring, Alec Cabacungan broke his hip. The Medill junior has osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. The condition causes Cabacungan’s bones to break easily, making

getting around difficult. NU’s bumpy, uneven terrain is unforgiving for those with physical disabilities — and the problems with the sidewalks are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to accessibility concerns on campus. This was not the first time Cabacungan had an experience like this. He said he took a leave during Winter Quarter 2022 after his wheelchair flipped during break last fall. “I was just so excited to come back. And then I flipped over again,” he said. “I had to go

through physical therapy again, which sucked.” Cabacungan said problems with navigating campus have been the most frustrating part of his time at NU. And he’s not the only student facing these issues. Students with physical disabilities make up 3% of students registered with AccessibleNU — the University’s accessibility office — according to its 2016 accessibility council report. Cabacungan and others said the University is not doing enough to remove access barriers around campus for those

students. From challenges communicating with administration to difficulty entering buildings and attending class, he said it has been an uphill battle to find justice — and belonging — on campus. “On top of dealing with the social pressures of college, and on top of the academic stress with each class, it can get extremely stressful also having to worry about what’s compliant and what’s accessible,” Cabacungan said.

» See UPHILL, page 4

Mirkin lab leads Experts say 988 needs to be robust nanotech industry After national crisis line launches, advocates call for expanded resources helped propel NU to NU professor talks has become a global leader in research, accolades, nanotechnology. nanotechnology ‘world-class’ status —Modern a field in which individuBy FIONA ROACH

daily senior staffer @fionaroach03

Throughout his 31 years at Northwestern, chemistry Prof. Chad Mirkin

Recycle Me

als study materials smaller than 100 nanometers — is just a 42-year-old industry, according to National Geographic. “One of the fundamental

» See MIRKIN, page 10

By MAIA PANDEY

daily senior staffer @maiapandey

Before the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched nationally last July, experts often dubbed it 911 for mental health crises: a short, easy-toremember emergency number that any person could phone. Seven months after 988

went live, advocates and mental health professionals say the crisis line is a significant step in expanding mental health services. However, they also say the crisis line still needs more local staffing and services to become a robust mental health care resource — including in Evanston and Cook County. When someone calls 988, they can connect with a

trained crisis counselor. But if a situation calls for an inperson response, the operator can refer the call to a local mobile crisis service. The 988 lifeline currently operates six call centers in Illinois, only one of them in Cook County. In a July 2022 release, Illinois officials emphasized the significance of the launch as the COVID-19 pandemic has continually eroded people’s

mental health. Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in Illinois and the third among people ages 15 to 34, according to the release. Though 988 is meant to mirror 911, the crisis line aims to avoid sending police responders to mental health crisis calls. “988 will help people across

» See 988, page 10