Students at Arizona State University are petitioning the college to drop the name of “walk-only” zones, claiming the word “walk” is both offensive and “ableist.”

Walk-only zones on ASU, according to the campus website, prohibits cars, bikes, and motorcycles from using the path. The name, however, has a number of students upset.

Some ASU students have taken offense to the term and have posted their grievances online and have started a petition.

“ASU is one of the largest universities in the United States and is a place of work, learning, and leisure to over 75,000 people on campus,” the petition begins. “Enforcing “Walk Only” zones onto campus property marginalizes disabled bodies who cannot walk.”



The title of the petition is named “Change the name to “Pedestrian Only” or any other inclusive title.” Asking to change the zones to “Pedestrian Only,” however, is an extremely odd request, because “pedestrian” comes from the Latin word “pedester,” which means someone is literally “on foot” walking.

The petition concludes, “This petition is in effort to make a more blanket title for these zones that encompasses the diversity of all bodies who occupy the community that is ASU.”

At the time of writing, it has 29 signatures.

Some comments on the petition are supportive. Fred McArthur wrote, “I agree very strongly with this petitition, as I know personally how harmful ableist language can be, and I applaud this effort. But, in the long run, I don’t think that it really goes far enough.”

Other comments were not supportive.

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