disAbled-Led Accessibility Audits
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We are excited to introduce an innovative approach to improving our campus’s accessibility—the User-Led Physical and Sensory Audit. This initiative represents a pivotal step towards enhancing the inclusivity of our environment, ensuring that all members of our community can navigate and utilize our facilities with ease.
What is a User-Led Audit?: A User-Led Audit involves community members who experience accessibility challenges firsthand. These individuals will lead the evaluation of our physical and sensory environments to ensure our campus meets their needs effectively. This approach allows us to gain authentic insights that are often overlooked in traditional audits, leading to more impactful and meaningful improvements.
Why User-Led Audits?: User-Led Audits provide several key benefits:
- Authentic Feedback: Direct from community members affected by accessibility barriers, ensuring that changes reflect real needs.
- Empowerment: This initiative empowers those impacted by accessibility issues to contribute actively to solutions, fostering a sense of ownership and involvement.
- Comprehensive Improvements: Beyond compliance, these audits aim to enhance actual usability and comfort, making our campus welcoming for everyone.
Scope of the Audit: This May, we begin our series of audits with a focus on residential accommodation, assessing 36 enabled rooms across the campus. Following this, our efforts will extend to academic buildings, including the Lloyd, Hamilton, TBSI, and JAMES' buildings. Our team, composed of disabled student interns and supported by staff from Estates, Accommodation, and Disability Services, will systematically evaluate these areas. We aim to identify obstacles that may not be evident without the perspective of those directly impacted by such challenges.
Your Role and How to Participate: We encourage all staff to engage with this process, whether by participating in the audits, providing feedback, or implementing changes within your respective areas. If you're interested in joining the audit team or contributing to this initiative, please contact [insert contact details].
Looking Forward: The findings from these audits will be instrumental in guiding future enhancements to our campus. We will keep you updated on our progress and share detailed reports of our findings. Your involvement and support are crucial for the success of this initiative.
Thank you for helping us make Trinity College Dublin a more accessible and inclusive environment for everyone.