After many months of hard work, your 2019-20 Vice President for Business and Law, Mary Copsey, has published the ARUaccessible Report! This report brings together all the comments that ARU students fed back about access and resources, organising them into themes to make key recommendations to the university. This report has been taken to high-level committees at the university and we have now begun action on ensuring they get done!
Our recommendations to the university are as follows:
Recommendation 1: The University should make Accessibility training compulsory, not voluntary, to ensure staff are up to date on disability awareness and accessibility within ARU’s educational setting.
Recommendation 2: The University should cultivate learning and teaching culture which strongly encourages teaching staff to record and share lectures, either through audio, video, or both.
Recommendation 3: The University should review Canvas policies to ensure they are accessibility-friendly, and reinforce to staff the importance of abiding by these policies, particularly the 48-hour policy for uploading lecture materials.
Recommendation 4: The University should ensure that the security booth does not obstruct disabled parking access.
Recommendation 5: The University should ensure that all campus paths, pavements, and curbs are accessible and free of hazards such as potholes.
Recommendation 6: The University should ensure that classrooms are fitted with accessible tables, chairs and other equipment to support students with mobility needs.
Recommendation 7: The University should make all doors accessible on campus, ensuring that heavy doors have working automatic mechanisms as a matter of course.
Recommendation 8: The University should ensure that all internal and external signage meets the need for wayfinding requirements, ensuring all accessible routes, facilities, and locations of key services are clear and legible. Signage should include recognition of hidden disabilities, indicating that ‘Not Every Disability is Visible’ on accessible toilets, lifts, etc.
Recommendation 9: The University needs to adapt its branding to ensure that all branded materials meet accessibility guidelines.
Recommendation 10: The University should conduct a full access audit covering all sites and campus buildings, including and not limited to ramps, stairs and lifts.