Access To Education For All!

Image Credits: Unesco

University can be a frustrating experience - moving to a strange place, meeting deadlines, making new friends, not to mention the actual content of the course itself. Anyone who has been to University for any length of time will know exactly what I am talking about; but imagine a further problem. Not being able to get to half of your lectures! At my University, which prides itself on being inclusive, I have endless problems accessing rooms for meetings, lectures and seminars. It is a very old building and I always get the information that I require, but it comes at a cost.

Independent Study

Part of the essence of University life is learning together. The interaction with tutors during lectures and with fellow students during seminars is priceless. However, if a lecture is on a certain floor, as rooms change - often at short notice – then I cannot attend. The academic staff are helpful and often take time out of their schedule to meet with me or give me the hand-outs from the session. I am not missing out on information as such, but I have lost the opportunity to join in with discussions, to interact with my peers; in short I have lost the ‘experience’ of University. Lonely meetings during lunch breaks do offer me the information I require, but are no replacement for some lively debate.

So What Can Be Done?

I would like to offer some common sense solutions to my problem.

1.       Sensible Scheduling
Whilst I am not the only wheelchair user in the University, or the only person who may have an issue with access problems, it must not be too difficult to ensure that all of my sessions are in accessible rooms. I want to make it clear that I am not asking for special treatment. I also accept that last-minute room changes are occasionally required. But these should be done sensibly and with an awareness of the needs of each specific group. We are not just names on a page!

2.       Access improvements
Many of these problems could be overcome with some simple access improvements. As I mentioned earlier, areas of the University are very old and I imagine changing them to meet access regulations to be both practically difficult and costly to carry out. There are other areas however, that are relatively new and which would be easy to convert for disabled access. A few ramps or handrails would certainly help matters, but a full access audit would give the University an opportunity to better the experience for all of its disabled students.

3.       LISTENING!
Ultimately though, the most frustrating thing has been the lack of communication. These problems have existed for some time (I am now half-way through my second year). After repeated pleas to administration staff to consider my needs when drawing up timetables I am experiencing the same difficulties over and over again. I am not accusing them of not caring; I’m sure that they do. I appreciate they are very busy; aren’t we all? But an effective timetable should be paramount for the running of the University. It is a huge department and I have spoken to several people about the same issue – every time having to explain the problem for the first time. Appointing somebody who is ultimately responsible for this, or simply talking to one another, would go a long way to improving the quality of University life for me and others like me. Surely, that is worth it.
Finally, I would like to say I don’t wish for this to appear as a moan, but it is so frustrating when my issues can so easily be fixed!


Gem Wilson supports the work provided by consultants in support of the Equality Act providing access audit, survey and consultancy writing for on and offline purposes.