Making our Graduation ceremonies accessible to all
Last year we received feedback from some of our students asking us to do more to make the ceremonies at the Great Hall in Exeter more accessible. We listened carefully to their concerns and suggestions and are grateful for all the constructive feedback we have received.
We then invited a member of the National Register of Access Consultants to campus, to assess the Great Hall and other areas used for our graduation ceremonies. As well as further discussions with our students, we also consulted our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, the Students’ Guild, the Disabled and Chronically Ill Network, our Health & Safety team and others involved with providing our Graduation experience.
As a result, we have taken the following actions:
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A new stage has been built at a lower height with accessible ramps. This will allow mobility aid and wheelchair users to join their peers in crossing the stage
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Signage has been reviewed, to ensure accessible routes are clearly marked in the Great Hall and surrounding areas
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All our marshal are accessible aware and will be there to assist any graduands or their guests on the day
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Graduands who have let us know about accessibility requirements will be contacted regarding their needs
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A film is available to help graduands better understand how the ceremony will work on the day
Graduation is the crowning moment of a student’s time at Exeter and a time of great celebration, so it is really important to us that we make it as accessible as possible for every graduand and their guests.
We have also continued to work closely with the graduation team in Cornwall to ensure that graduands and their families have a great experience at our ceremonies in Truro.
We will continue to meet with our students and the Students’ Guild over the course of the next academic year to see where further adjustments can be made for future ceremonies. We are committed to improving the accessibility of our ceremonies and we grateful to all those members of our community who gave us feedback leading to these most recent improvements.