The Accessibility Project

GMD graduate, Abi Chapman, has impressed us with her dedication to a project close to her heart, which grew from a 20 credit final year brief to a fully-funded initiative for the whole of LCC, with the aim of making a difference for disabled students and staff.

My journey started in the final year of my BA in Graphic and Media Design, with the Industry Practice Unit. I remember I explored how we could improve healthcare for those with disabilities and impairments. Fast forward a year and I undertook my Master’s in Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures (also at LCC) and spent the entirety of the course focusing on different aspects of disability. In my final Major Project, I explored how we could improve accessibility for people with disability.

It was in this six months that I developed The Accessibility Project – a social enterprise which researches, challenges and aims to break down accessibility barriers in society. In a nutshell, the project aspires to improve quality of life for people with disability. During my Major Project, I decided to use London College of Communication as my case study as I wanted to explore how we could improve accessibility within LCC’s community.

As a disabled person, I am aware that LCC is not always that accessible! But this project couldn’t be based on the bias of my experience, so I started with launching a questionnaire which was open to everybody at LCC, not just students. I asked people to rate their experiences in terms of accessibility and found that there were certain areas that scored poorly, which included people’s mental health, and community experience.

I decided to design a workshop programme which anybody would be welcome to come to and learn about accessibility and inclusivity, with the aim to improve understanding and empathy, as well as build relationships outside of our courses. These were super successful.

I quickly realised that six months of a Major Project was not enough time to make such changes at LCC. So I decided to contact both LCC and UAL leadership, and asked for half an hour of their time to pitch The Accessibility Project to them, in the hope for more time, and funding, to continue the project. I designed my pitch with all the insights I had collated and outcomes of workshops so far, and pitched my project.

I was successful! From 2022 I will be working in the university to continue exploring how we improve accessibility at LCC, and I have been awarded funding to do so!

Outside of my case study in LCC, the project has been making waves in our communities. I have co-designed and collaborated on running workshops in Southwark, I have been asked to become an ambassador for the Mental Health Foundation’s perspective project, I have been interviewed by PTSD UK, written pieces for the national Dentistry Magazine, and am working with the EDS UK Society to transform their social media programme as well as working with grass roots organisations.

When I left GMD and came onto my Masters, I never realised the impact my work would have, nor how quickly success would come. Success, yes, has come from hard work, but it has also come from the dedication and passion for the area of work where my project lies. I am a disabled person changing the world of disability. If I have any advice for students, it’s to find your passion. What do you want to talk about in your work and why? When you find your passion, the hard work is easy. Your work becomes your play.

Instagram: @accessibilityprojectuk
Website: www.theaccessibilityproject.uk
Email: theaccessibilityproject@mail.com