Supporting access to educational environments with AccessAble

Access guides for teaching and learning spaces

Two years ago the University of Cambridge partnered with AccessAble to create guides that give detailed access and sensory information about different sites and spaces across the University. The guides include maps and photographs to help students, staff and visitors plan their journeys to and around the University, covering everything from parking facilities and walking distances to hearing loops and toilet access. By providing detailed and comprehensive information they enable users to assess the accessibility of an environment for their own needs.

All Department and Faculties across all main University sites have now been covered, including the Sidgwick Site, West Cambridge, Downing Site and more. The details in the guides have been checked in-person by trained surveyors, and refresh surveys every 12 months are used to pick up on any changes which might require repeat visits.

As well as the AccessAble website, the guides can be accessed via the free app on Apple or Android. We encourage you to ensure that your students (and colleagues!) are aware of this comprehensive resource.

Why do we need accessibility guides?

Maintaining accurate and up-to-date accessibility information is of critical importance to ensure that all staff and students can teach, learn and participate in University life.

An anonymous student reflected:

"The AccessAble guides to the University have been a really essential part of my university experience. Since they were produced I've been much more able to plan my time, not feeling as anxious about potential inaccessibility or unknown routes, and being able to check whether a room will be suitable for me before it is booked without having to rely on teaching staff to find out for me. I only wish that more students and applicants knew that this information was available to them!"

Dr Gregory Burke, Founder of AccessAble, said:

"My time at Cambridge changed my life completely, giving me a freedom and a confidence when hitherto my horizons had been so tightly constrained. Nevertheless my access frustrations led me to set up AccessAble (then called DisabledGo) during my PhD. Now, working in partnership with the University we've ensured that vital, in-depth access information to some buildings, teaching spaces and services is available for students, visitors and staff."

Read more about the founding of AccessAble on their website.

Cambridge Teaching & Learning Newsletter vol. 3 (issue 2) December 2021