Students assess wheelchair access on campus

First year Geography students have been carrying out fieldwork to evaluate the accessibility of Avenue Campus for wheelchair users. This relates to work carried out in class on 'geographies of disability'. Before conducting the exercise, students had the opportunity to interview members of the University's Wheelchair Basketball team, to find out more about the experiences of wheelchair users.

Dilan, Sharan, George, Aimee and James reviewing wheelchair access at Avenue Campus

Working in groups, students have taken a 30-minute walk with a wheelchair around an everyday route on campus. Everyone has had an opportunity to push, and be pushed in, the wheelchair. During the walk, students made fieldnotes reflecting upon how familiar everyday spaces can look and feel very different from the perspective of a wheelchair user.

Students then measured footpath and corridor widths, kerb heights, and slope gradients. These measurements were compared to Department for Transport guidance about accessible pedestrian environments.

Each group is now working hard to prepare an annotated map and summary of their key findings, ready for assessment. This exercise is designed to help students engage with recent academic research about geographies of disabilities. The project also provides a wealth of data which is really valued by the University of Northampton, as we seek to make the campus an accessible and inclusive place for all.