Accessible Environments

Despite an increasing focus on equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) across society, barriers to equal opportunity and to social, economic, and political inclusion still arise from a lack of accessibility. This is frequently because the design or organisation of physical and social environments fail to align with the needs of specific groups.

In response to this real-world problem, the Institute for Advanced Studies' Accessible Environments cluster aims to lead the way in identifying avenues for fair access for all. It does so in two main ways: first, by understanding the needs of people who are typically excluded and, second, by implementing positive, sustainable change through policy development and technological advancement. These are truly interdisciplinary challenges, and so the Accessible Environments cluster brings together expertise and state-of-the-art techniques from the Faculties of Natural Sciences, Health Sciences and Sport, Social Sciences, and Arts and Humanities with the overarching objective of demonstrating how accessibility can be improved.

Specifically, we seek to generate meaningful improvements in:

• Spaces: by showing how physical and virtual spaces can be changed to enable accessibility.
• Places: by engaging with the lived experiences and identities of those who require greater access, both locally and globally.
• Lives: by producing research that has direct, positive impact on wellbeing and health for those concerned.