Update on our Inclusive Environments Action Plan

In order to ensure our students and staff feel respected, supported and enabled to do their best work, it’s essential that we build a campus and culture that is inclusive, welcoming and accessible to everyone.

But too often there are barriers to access within our buildings, to getting information across our digital estate, and to accessing services on campus.  

In October 2023, following a three-year consultation process talking to and listening to our community’s experiences of studying and working on campus, we published the Inclusive Environments Policy and Action Plan.   

Since then, teams from across UCL have been working on removing these barriers so that everyone can participate equally, confidently and independently in their activities across our campuses and venues wherever possible. 

Our progress so far 

Over this first year, it’s been essential for teams working across each of the strands of the action plan to spend time building their working groups and planning to ensure we focus on the right things and do things the right way.  

With an estate of more than 250 buildings – two thirds of which are listed and/or in a conservation area – it will take time to achieve our aims.  

However, we have been making steady progress.  

• Improving access to Reasonable Adjustments.
• Supporting our staff and students with Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans.
• Improving accessibility by automating heavy doors.
• Improving hearing accessibility in teaching spaces and large meeting rooms.
• Refurbishing teaching spaces in line with inclusive design standards.
• Expanding our Inclusive Environments team.

Some key achievements 

Improving access to Reasonable Adjustments 

UCL is responsible for anticipating and implementing Reasonable Adjustments for staff and students with a disability, but our processes for doing so are fragmented and inconsistent across the university.  

We have improved the process for managing building works related to Reasonable Adjustment requests to ensure they are prioritised and responded to quickly, and developed a proposed action plan to ensure the needs of all staff and students are met in a timely and joined-up manner that places the person at the heart of the process. 

Read more about how we’re improving access to Reasonable Adjustments. 

Supporting our staff and students with Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans 

UCL is committed, and statutorily obliged, to provide and maintain a safe and healthy environment for our staff and students. This includes ensuring everyone can safely evacuate our buildings in the event of an emergency 

Following a consultative process, we have made improvements to the way we manage PEEPs, including simplifying the form and using more inclusive language, updating and clarifying guidance, and developing new training for managers. We’re currently looking into how we can better manage PEEPs in more complex cases, such as such when students are in multiple rooms and buildings for their modules. 

Read more about how we’re supporting staff and students with PEEPs. 

Improving accessibility by automating heavy doors 

Heavy doors are frequently referenced in Reasonable Adjustments requests and are one of the biggest barriers affecting movement into and out of UCL buildings.   

By installing power-assisted and automatic doors where possible, we're aiming to prevent doors disabling people due to the strain of opening them and working to ensure that reasonable adjustment requests relating to doors becomes a thing of the past. We’ve committed to automating doors where possible during building projects, and are identifying those we need do work on as a priority. 

Read more about how we’re tackling heavy doors.

Improving hearing accessibility in teaching spaces and large meeting rooms 

Following a successful user trial last year, we are working on the technical side of installing new assistive hearing technology in more spaces to make it easier for the hearing-impaired community, or anyone that would benefit from the removal of background noise in lecture theatres, to listen to lectures and take part in seminars and meetings.    

MobileConnect is an app-based accessibility system that enables users to use their own smartphone as an assistive hearing device. Once installed in a room, users can scan a QR code to discreetly connect to the system and listen to a live audio stream with their headphones, hearing aid or cochlear implant via WiFi.

Read more about how we’re improving hearing accessibility.

Refurbishing teaching spaces in line with inclusive design standards 

As part of both the Inclusive Environments Action plan and our Estates Strategy 2022-27 commitment, we have been working together to create more flexible, inclusive, and inspiring teaching spaces.   

Over the summer, we refurbished 24 rooms using inclusive design standards through the Teaching Spaces project. This included incorporating biophilic design elements to make spaces more inclusive for our neurodiverse students and staff. We have also been working on providing more ergonomic chairs, desks and writing tablets. We’re now gathering feedback and identifying rooms to refurbish this summer. 

Read more about how we’re creating more inclusive teaching spaces. 

Expanding our Inclusive Environments team 

On 7 January this year, Pip Jackson took up the new role of Director of Inclusive Environment. We’re currently expanding the team and recruiting another Access and Inclusive Design Specialist to support on Capital Projects and Minor Works projects across the Estate, as well as a Head of Inclusive Places and Spaces.   

By expanding the team we’re building capacity across the organisation to embed a barrier-free experience as standard for all users of UCL spaces. While there is still much to be done, by bringing in more technical expertise we can speed up the rate of progress. 

Read more about Pip's appointment.

More about inclusive environments at UCL

• Visit and follow the Inclusive Environments SharePoint site to keep up to date with the progress of the Inclusive Environments Action Plan including our work:
  • reviewing our estates related policies, processes and ways of working;  
  • improving our buildings, facilities and equipment;  
  • reviewing building design standards, and carrying out audits;  
  • and influencing the Higher Education Estates Sector.
• Read some top tips to make working at UCL more inclusive.