A former Murdoch University student says the institution is failing disabled students after a viral video exposed accessibility issues across the campus.
Mia Day, who uses a wheelchair, says she left the university due to ongoing accessibility issues, including faulty elevators, steep ramps and lack of stair lifts.
A video she made demonstrating some of those barriers went viral, amassing almost one million views.
The university issued two statements on social media in response to the incident.
But Ms Day says it failed to acknowledge the broader issues disabled students face on campus.
“Their responses are pathetic, they’re dismissive, and they’re trying to change the narrative into it being about one person who was a visitor to campus, rather than a former student who studied for four years and had to drop out because of the inaccessibility,” she says.
“I want acknowledgement this is a bigger issue than just one person who happened to make a video about it.”
In the video, Ms Day highlights the removal of a wheelchair stair lift near the university’s Bush Court in 2023.
In a social media post, Murdoch University explains the lifts were removed because they were unreliable.
But Ms Day says that’s not good enough.
“Whose fault is that – is that the fault of the wheelchair user who needs it? Should I be paying that price? There was something there for accessibility, and it was removed with no consultation.”
Mia Day, former university student
“It’s not just me in a wheelchair. There are other people in wheelchairs, people using mobility aids, people who are injured.
“Everyone benefits from actually doing things properly.”
Ms Day says she has been overwhelmed by support, since posting the video.
“I’ve had so many people message me saying, ‘yes, I’ve had these issues too. This is what I’ve been through at Murdoch. This is why I had to drop out’,” she says.
“It’s not just me.”
She says Murdoch University has not done enough to acknowledge the concerns raised.
“They hid my comments on the Instagram post, so I’m feeling a mix of pride and disappointment,” she says.
“I’m proud of myself for doing this and starting such a big conversation, but I’m frustrated that after five years of people fighting for accessibility at Murdoch, it took a public hit to their reputation for them to even respond.”
When approached for comment, Murdoch University directed the Western Independent to its existing social media posts.
It has privately reached out to Ms Day, pledging to address the issues she raised.
Murdoch University Student Guild disability representative Mia Westera says the guild has previously raised accessibility concerns with the university.
“They kind of went, ‘oh yeah, we’ll look into it,’ and nothing has happened since,” she says.
“Her posting the videos is honestly amazing because it shows we need accessibility changes.”
Ms Westera says more people have reached out following Ms Day’s video to share their own experiences with accessibility issues on campus.
“Hopefully this kind of push will lead to changes,” she says.
“The hope is to get something in place, at least until they can provide permanent solutions.”
Curtin University School of Allied Health senior researcher Nigel Gribble says more needs to be done to improve accessibility on campuses.
“It just seems ridiculous to me that we don’t do something to allow anyone in a wheelchair to get anywhere as quickly as it takes everyone else,” he says.
“We need to do everything we possibly can to allow every person of all abilities to get to their place of study, their home, their workplace.
“There are a million things we can do, and we need to do more.”
Dr Gribble says the impact of inaccessible campuses goes beyond simple inconvenience.
“If someone’s in a wheelchair and they need to take an extra few hundred metres to go up another ramp, that’s more energy they’ve expended,” he says.
“That can impact their concentration when they get to the classroom and their ability to interact with others.”
“Students, no matter who they are or what their abilities are, need to be able to access buildings so they can participate in a meaningful role as a student.”
Dr Nigel Gribble, occupational therapy researcher
Non-profit organisation Tokyo Alley accessibility director Nox Malorie-Green graduated from Murdoch in 2021 and says the campus wheelchair lifts were never working.
“People would just kind of be stuck there,” they say.
“It was really bad. It made me feel like they didn’t care about us, especially because they were building new buildings and renovating other areas.”
They say their experience at Murdoch influences how they approach accessibility planning in their current role.
“I think about my time at Murdoch and remember being really frustrated, so I try to make sure accessibility is considered from the start,” they say.
“Murdoch isn’t a non-profit volunteer organisation; it’s a multi-million dollar university. It should be doing better.”
Nox Malorie-Green, accessibility director
Former student Mia Day says she was initially hesitant to speak publicly about her experiences, fearing she would not be welcomed back on campus.
“I’m not a student there anymore, but when they’ve got events on, I like to go and hang out,” she says.
“I love the atmosphere at the university. I love the Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre, as a descendant of the Noongar people. I love the Queer Collective. I love everyone I’ve met there. I’ve made so many friends there.”
She says the support for her video has given her the confidence to speak out.
“An apology would be nice, but I don’t expect it,” she says.
“I want a public plan so we can hold them to it, and I want disabled people involved in that plan.”