Access to education is a human right, and it is vital that students across Canada and beyond can access their school, college, or university without impediment. Despite this, many disabled people or those with reduced mobility find this difficult. Certain educational buildings may be older, and designed at a time when accessibility was not a priority.
An ONS survey found that disabled people are ‘less likely to have a degree-level qualification’ than those without disabilities, and that ‘the proportion of disabled people who had no qualifications is more than two and a half times the proportion of non-disabled people.’
The Equality Act states that schools, colleges, universities, and all centres of education are legally required to ensure equal access to buildings for everyone. This includes making allowances for wheelchair users, or students who might struggle to use on-site steps. These allowances should be made pre-emptively, and not just when an issue arises.
To ensure equal access for all, those with a responsibility to provide access to these educational establishments should review current access, and look to install solutions where needed.
Building access ramps are a simple, effective way of providing safe access to buildings for people of reduced mobility. At Portaramp, we have been working with the education sector and others for many years to provide the best building access solutions for disabled people, in Canada and beyond. Our bespoke, portable ramps offer an alternative to costly fixed ramps, without drawbacks.
