The guides are designed to make visiting the campus easier for everyone and supporting people with a wide range of accessibility requirements; whether you have mobility or sensory needs or feel anxious about unfamiliar environments. The guides identify quiet spaces that support neurodivergent users or anyone who needs a calmer environment, as well as showing stoma-friendly facilities and changing places toilets. By giving people the information they need before they visit, the guides aim to enable people to plan ahead, feel confident and focus on their studies, work or visit, reducing anxiety and empowering independence.

The project has been delivered in partnership with AccessAble, the UK’s leading provider of detailed accessibility information. For 25 years AccessAble, a disabled person-led organisation, has co-produced its guides with disabled people, ensuring that every piece of information is accurate, relevant and empowering.

Geoff Marsh, Director of Facilities and Commercial Services at Canterbury Christ Church University, said: “We’re delighted to be working AccessAble to deliver Detailed Access Guides across our campuses in Kent and Medway.

“As a University, we take great pride in our inclusive community and in the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to access higher education. That means ensuring our teaching and learning spaces are welcoming and accessible, so our students can achieve their full potential and for our staff can continue producing world-leading research.

“These free and easy-to-use guides will support all members of our community by helping to reduce anxiety ahead of visits and enabling people to feel more independent and in control when on campus. We look forward to continuing to work with AccessAble to ensure the guides are up-to-date and even expanded over time.”

David Livermore, Director at AccessAble said: “We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Accessibility Guide for Canterbury Christ Church University. Within the past year over 50 locations across the University have been individually surveyed, resulting in comprehensive Detailed Access Guides that address all aspects of accessibility.

“These guides will be accessible via the University’s website and on www.AccessAble.co.uk providing free, accurate and mobile-friendly accessibility information.

“Co-produced with disabled people and verified by trained surveyors, AccessAble’s guides are designed to promote independence and confidence. By partnering with AccessAble, Canterbury Christ Church University joins more than 100 universities across the UK in developing an accessibility guide, thereby enabling students, staff, and visitors to navigate the campus with greater confidence and independence.”

AccessAble’s guides are fact-based and genuinely detailed, moving well beyond unhelpful phrases like “fully accessible” to give clarity on what students, staff and visitors can expect.

Every guide is created by trained surveyors who visit each building in person and capture details on everything from entrances and lifts to toilets, parking, lighting, assistive listening, signage, teaching spaces, and more.

The University’s Detailed Access Guides are free to use and integrated directly into the University’s own website, so information is available exactly where students, staff and visitors expect to find it.

The guides can also be accessed via the AccessAble website, which is fully optimised for mobile phones, making it easy to use both when planning a visit and while on campus.

Accessibility features on the AccessAble website include Recite Me, which allows users to listen to content as audio, translate it into multiple languages, or adjust font size, colour contrast and background colours. Additionally, SignLive video interpreting is available for users of British Sign Language (BSL), providing valuable support to members of the Deaf community.

Detailed Access Guides launched to improve accessibility and empower campus users