University seating stigmatizes people with larger bodies, student says

Caitlin Lloyd says it's emotionally taxing to ask professors for accommodations every time she attends their classes, shuffling tables and chairs in the lecture hall to make space for her body.

"There are a lot of classrooms where there's either very few accessible seating options or there aren't really any at all," said the 24-year-old, who studies at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in Prince George.

"It's basically without doing anything on your own accord or without any fault of your own — it just singles you out, basically, and it definitely is a bit ostracizing," she said. "It's not a fun part of the university experience."

In recent years, individuals and advocacy groups have been speaking out on the stigmatization they face for their body size.

Self-described as "fat activists," they say they want to reclaim the term "fat" to be a neutral or positive descriptor of their bodies, rather than one that comes with assumptions that they don't take care of themselves or follow a proper diet.

Lloyd says she wants to speak out about the discrimination she has faced, and that she feels her university hasn't done enough to make classes more accessible for bigger students who are paying tuition like other students.

"It was in that kind of [lecture] room with the chair and desk combos … unfortunately, it's a barrier," she said.

"Making the seating more accessible isn't going to exclude anyone," she adds. "[Seating accessibility is] an issue that impacts a lot of people."

University of Victoria counselling psychology professor Sarah Nutter says bias and stigma against people with a higher body weight are prevalent not only in Canada but also globally, and those unfriendly attitudes and infrastructure design could impact their well-being.

Nutter says it's important to accommodate the needs of people of different sizes when designing public spaces.

"When people are very aware of how much space they take up because of weight bias and stigma in society, being able to decrease the impact of that by providing friendly or more accommodating spaces, I think, sends a more positive and welcoming message," she said.

David Claus, facilities management director at UNBC, says his team has recognized the need to enhance accessibility around the university's learning facilities, which were mostly built in 1994.

"We're trying to make steps to correct that," he said. "But as this is physical infrastructure that's very firmly in place there, it takes time to develop a plan and identify something to be able to upgrade them."

Claus says the university has developed a new standard for chairs and tables in flat-floored classrooms, but he admits there are difficulties when it comes to terraced classrooms.

"The seating is actually attached to the floor, so it's bolted to the concrete," he said.

"We need to unbolt all the seating, bringing in all new seating, and we often are constrained with how wide those aisles were cast to be when they originally built up the room."

Claus says students who need accessibility accommodations could go to the university's Access Resource Centre, so the university can learn how it can help.

"We try to avoid predicting what people are going to be comfortable or uncomfortable with," he said. "Some of the best ways of doing that is to actually have a conversation with the individual directly."

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