Wooster schools now have evacuation chairs. What are they and how do they help?

WOOSTER − Julia Jorgenson and a helper prepared to demonstrate a complicated-looking folded green and black contraption with wheels called an evacuation chair.

With two sets of handles, straps and treads like that on a tank, it seemed intimidating equipment for the teachers in Wooster City Schools at the first training session in early January.

Once Jorgenson started the training, however, and showed them how to unfold the chair, it all made sense.

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"There's a strap here for their head, and whether or not the student needs it, it will help keep them secure," said Jorgenson, an account manager for Stryker, a producer of medical equipment. Three more straps are used to secure the torso, feet and lap.

It is one of two chairs at Wooster High School, out of a total of six in Wooster City Schools, that were bought with grant money to help students living with disabilities navigate staircases in the event of an emergency.

The training Jorgenson led was the first of several that will be available for teachers, faculty and staff at Wooster schools to become familiar with the new chair.

Fire- and EMS-approved chairs

IncludeAbility founder and CEO Julie Hartzler and Wooster City Schools invited Jorgenson to train staff after the chairs, which hang on the wall near stairwells, were installed in December.

Her usual clients typically are hospitals, emergency medical services and fire departments. The people in the chairs are typically patients, she said.

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IncludeAbility purchased the six chairs for nearly $28,000 using grant money provided by the Wayne County Community Foundation, said Hartzler, a Wooster High School graduate.

"Once we received the grant money, we spoke with the Wooster Fire Department and Wooster Police Department to figure out how to best use the money," she said. "Do we buy two evacuation chairs for each building, or do we buy one chair per staircase."

Wooster fire and police departments recommended Hartzler purchase two chairs for each of the school district's buildings.

How many students could benefit from evacuation chairs?

Of the nearly 1.6 million students in Ohio, around 271,000 live with some type of mental or physical disability, according to the Ohio Department of Education.

While no specific data is available, a spokesperson for the ODOE said a fraction of those students whose disabilities prevent them from navigating stairs would benefit from an evacuation chair in their schools.

Across Wayne County, 2,363 students are living with disabilities, or about 15% of those enrolled, according to the department.

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This is the same in Ashland and Holmes counties, which hover around 14%. Nearly 19% of Richland County students live with a disability.

Hartzler said many of these schools lack evacuation chairs, so she would like to expand IncludeAbility into nearby counties to advocate for the chairs.

Pushing for accessibility

Hartzler watched as Wooster High School teachers practiced using the evacuation chair with her daughter, Makayla Maxwell in the seat.

"I hope you don't mind being the guinea pig," one teacher asked Maxwell, an eighth grader in Wooster.

"I don't mind at all," Maxwell replied.

Hartzler's daughter was born with spina bifida, a condition that prevents the neural tube from closing all the way, preventing the backbone from fully protecting the spinal cord.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this often results in spinal cord and nerve damage.

Spina bifida effects can range from little to no disability to paralysis or being unable to walk or move parts of the body.

After Maxwell was born, Hartzler switched careers from business and marketing to the medical field, eventually becoming a registered nurse.

In 2021, Hartzler founded IncludeAbility to help communities become more accessible and inclusive.

The evacuation chair installations and training in Wooster City Schools is her first major success at her nonprofit.

"For just being a year and a half old, it's quite the blessing, and we want to keep pushing for more accessibility," she said at the January training. "We want to be proactive and advocate for people with disabilities."

Expanding beyond Wooster

While Hartzler and her team will continue to work with Stryker and Wooster City Schools this semester, she hopes to expand into Wayne County, and eventually, the entire state.

Hartzler acknowledges it is an ambitious plan.

"It's an exciting opportunity that creates equal access for everyone," she said. "Everyone feels like there is a plan for them."

Now, Hartzler is eyeing Triway Local Schools and other area districts.

Wooster Superintendent Gabe Tudor threw his support behind the evacuation chairs at the training.

"Hartzler came to me with this idea and I said let's do it," Tudor said. "We're so thankful for Julia and her team for bringing these in; (the chairs) are now part of our safety plan going forward."

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wooster school buildings now feature evacuation chairs at stairwells