The University of Warwick is proud to have added an Enhanced Accessible Suite to our accommodation stock so that disabled students will be able to enjoy the opportunity to study at Warwick independently and safely. And we are delighted to win BDF’s Disability Smart Built Environment Award for this initiative.

During Summer 2020, we adapted a suite of rooms to create accommodation for disabled students and their carers, within an existing flat – specialist bathroom equipment, full room coverage hoist, and bespoke electrical solutions were installed to ensure the safety of students and provide an accessible and independent living space for them and their carers. Winning the Built Environment Award is great recognition of all of the work of the Estates Team and Estates Accessibility Officer, Jenny Wheeler, in developing this provision.

This Enhanced Suite is opening up an independent life at university for disabled students with complex needs and care requirements. We already have a student making use of this facility, and we hope that this Suite will provide a home at Warwick for many disabled students to come.

And we are pleased too, to have this opportunity to raise awareness of our new Enhanced Accessibility Suite so that disabled young people feel that Warwick is an option for them, and we hope more and more universities will be inspired to offer similar accommodation options.

In their feedback, the Disability Smart judging panel said:

“This is a great example of normalising access features so that students who need adjustments and support can live in halls and participate in student life as independently as possible."

“The spark for this work was a particular student with complex disabilities and care needs. The student had been turned away from several other universities because of a lack of suitable accommodation. We commend the Estates Team for showing what can be achieved.”