Health and Safety, EDI and lessons in accommodating adjustments for future students
A Faculty Safety Manager worked in collaboration with others to prepare for the arrival of a prospective student who used a wheelchair.
A Faculty Safety Manager worked in collaboration with a Disability Lead in the Department of 深夜福利国产精品, laboratory coordinators, and other University departments to prepare for the arrival of a prospective student who used a wheelchair, for whom manual handling of equipment would not be feasible. The collaboration was complex due to the number of departments involved (Disability Advisory Service, Fire Office, 深夜福利国产精品 Department, the student鈥檚 Local Authority and building managers). A variety of steps were taken including measuring doorways to ensure suitability for a powered wheelchair, testing of alternative solutions to evacuation chairs, building works to adapt toilets and 鈥榸oning鈥� to ensure the student was as close as possible to their evacuation points. A significant adaption to synthetic laboratories was use of a lab assistant wearing a head-mounted camera who carried out the practical in the lab following the student鈥檚 verbal instructions. The camera allowed the student to observe the work via a line-of-sight video stream, allowing them to see the chemistry and the processes of lab work and give ownership of the work and agency in how it was carried out. As a result of the interventions, the student is progressing well in their undergraduate studies and able to achieve the desired learning outcomes in laboratories.
The successes in adjustments and collaborative working led to the creation of a case study which was shared across the University including with the Disability Action Group, Occupational Health, the Disability Advisory Service and Central Safety Department. This prompted more strategic thinking around streamlining processes, such as stocking equipment including ear defenders for individuals with sensory issues or pagers for individuals with visual impairments to indicate when alarms are going off and improving guidance regarding the preparation of PEEPs (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans).
This work has also led to the creation of a small, core working group of key role-holders ready to work together to ensure accessibility and inclusion when there are similar needs for cross-department collaboration.
I think the collaboration was a really valuable experience. It was really rewarding to see that the student can come in, unaware of the background work, and have the same experience as everybody else. The student is progressing in their studies and doing really well which is great.