Committee for an Accessible University (CAU)

Mission Statement of the CAU

The Committee for an Accessible University (CAU) serves as an advisory committee to the Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services, the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs, and the Office of Student Disabilities Services. The Committee works closely with the University Architect to implement the Architectural Barrier Removal and Prevention Program (ABRP) effort. Included in the Committee's charge: monitoring major renovations, landscape projects and new construction; identifying barriers; and recommending, prioritizing, and requesting individual projects.

Members are University-wide representatives from Schools, Centers, Offices, and Programs who come in frequent contact and/or work with, or are themselves faculty, students, and staff with disabilities. Meetings are held in the fall and spring of the academic year. The ABRP Subcommittee meets as needed throughout the year.

The CAU advances three major objectives:

• To provide students, faculty, staff and guests with disabilities the opportunity to fully access, participate in, and contribute to the University's academic, social, and employment activities.
• To ensure that every teaching and research opportunity is conducted within barrier-free facilities, so that Penn will not be denied the minds and talents of gifted and highly motivated students, faculty, staff and guests.
• To contribute to the protection and enhancement of Penn's physical plant and financial assets by removing and preventing the creation of both landscape and architectural barriers that limit the full utilization of Penn's facilities; and, by contributing to the continuing optimum maintenance and service effort.