The Cambridge SU LGBT+ Campaign is committed to making sure all members of our community in Cambridge feel welcome and accepted. That’s why we’ve signed the DSC Accessibility Pledge, promising to make our community as accessible for disabled people as possible. You can read what this pledge involves below, as well as find more information about the pledge and how to sign here: https://www.disabled.cusu.cam.ac.uk/accessibility-pledge/
We would like to take this opportunity to encourage all J/MCRs, societies and campaigns to sign this pledge to help all students feel that they are welcome and accepted.
The Accessibility Pledge:
• We will aim to hold events where possible in rooms that are accessible – step-free access, comfy seating, etc.
• All our events will include detailed access statements on publication, made available everywhere the event is advertised.
• All event publicity will include a designated point of contact who can be consulted for further access information.
• We will aim to hold a range of events that cater to different access needs.
• We will consider access needs relating to food and drink, by e.g. providing non-alcoholic, sugar-free, gluten-free etc. options and by keeping allergen information/packaging available.
• We will attempt to make meetings accessible to those who can’t attend in person, e.g. via remote attendance or minutes.
• We will consider access needs when creating and distributing resources, e.g. via text-selectable digital versions, image descriptions, offering large print/other formats on request, etc.
• We will consider access needs when structuring our events, e.g. by including short access breaks, providing a separate quiet space, making it easy for attendees to leave at any time, etc.
Policy for use of our Facebook pages and groups:
In addition to the Accessibility Pledge, we would like to draw attention to our policy for use of the Cambridge SU LGBT+ Facebook pages and groups:
Guidelines for writing an access statement
- Individuals are not permitted to advertise events on any Cambridge SU LGBT+ page unless it adheres to the policy terms outlined above.
- Content Notes should be provided for posts/events which may have upsetting subject matter for certain individuals
Please note that we will ask you to amend your post if you do not follow these guidelines, and may remove it.
How to write an access statement for an event:
Access statements should have contact details of the organiser so that they can get in touch with any access issues.
An event cannot be made 100% accessible but organisers should be upfront about what they can and cannot accommodate.
Below are some examples of things you should include in an access statement (whether or not they are available):
- Hearing loop
- Step-free/wheelchair access (and/or roughly how many stairs an attendee would need to climb)
- Accessible/gender-neutral toilets
- Seating (comfort/reserved?)
- Content notes
- Subtitles for films
- Destimulation/quiet zones
- Allergy-friendly food
This is not an exhaustive list! The DSC website has an access statement generator which can be used to help write access statements.