Chatham University has agreed to make its campus and services more accessible to individuals with disabilities under a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department, which announced the settlement today.

"Our agreement with Chatham University, an older campus with a challenging terrain, is an important step in our continuing effort to ensure that the nation's educational facilities are accessible to students and visitors with disabilities," said Grace Chung Becker, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, in a news release.

Chatham University spokesman Paul Kovach said, "We'll fully comply with the decree. We've already invested in making the campus more accessible."

He said Chatham already has spent "significant" money on accessibility but declined to say how much. The department stated that the university agreed to a five-year plan to improve accessibility.

The department citied issued with Americans with Disabilities standards for accessible design in new buildings and barriers to existing buildings, including entrances and steps in corridors. Other issues noted in the release include a lack of accessible seating in assembly areas, narrow doorways, absence of directional signage and inaccessible circulation paths through the campus.