What has changed? What improvements have been made? And how will disabled students be involved in shaping the work still to come?
An Open Letter to Professor Andy Schofield – Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Glasgow
From Glasgow University Students’ Representative Council (SRC)
Dear Professor Schofield,
Each year in November and December, the SRC and the wider University community come together to mark Disability History Month.
During last year’s campaign, disabled students at the University of Glasgow shared powerful accounts of navigating campus and the barriers they continue to face. Through our World Changers Need Access campaign, students spoke openly about the challenges they encounter daily – not only in classrooms, labs, and libraries, but across the whole student experience: clubs and societies, sports, volunteering, social spaces, events, and the campus environment itself.
Last year, students described barriers across every part of campus life – from being unable to reach teaching or social spaces due to unreliable lifts and routes, to struggling to attend events without quiet or low-stim environments, and facing digital barriers such as missing lecture recordings or inaccessible materials. These were not isolated incidents, but patterns that made full participation difficult.
The campaign received significant student support and national media coverage, including STV News and led to the University doubling of the Estates accessibility fund from £250,000 to £500,000.
As you were not yet in post at the time, we want to offer clear context. Students highlighted that, despite the existence of policies and frameworks, their lived experience of campus frequently falls short of the University’s aspirations. The purpose of World Changers Need Access was – and continues to be – to surface these gaps constructively and honestly.
This year, for Disability History Month 2025, our theme is Life Beyond the Classroom: recognising that meaningful inclusion requires more than accessible lecture theatres. Disabled students deserve to participate fully in every aspect of university life, and without this, the student experience is incomplete.
One year on, students are simply asking:
What has changed? What improvements have been made? And how will disabled students be involved in shaping the work still to come?
Disabled students deserve clarity on what has been delivered, what is outstanding, and what they can expect going forward, we are therefore requesting an update from University leadership on the commitments made last year
We respectfully request a University response to the following:
1. Accessibility Funding and Delivery
2. Progress on Physical Accessibility
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What essential accessibility works have been completed (for example lifts, ramps, doors, signage, accessible toilets, or evacuation arrangements)?
3. Progress on Social and Digital Accessibility
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What progress has been made on creating sensory rooms, quiet spaces, and low-stim areas following last year’s consultation? Where will these spaces be located, and how will students access them?
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According to policy, all lectures should be recorded, but in practice this is often not the case. What improvements have been made to lecture recording, captioning, and digital accessibility?
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Have there been any reviews or changes to processes affecting student participation (events, room bookings, safety procedures, club and society activity), and what progress has been made?
4. Transparency, Reporting, and Governance
5. Culture and Attitudes
This letter is written in the spirit of collaboration, accountability, and shared responsibility. Disabled students deserve honesty – about progress, challenges, and the work still ahead. Even if the update is that progress has been slower than hoped, students should hear this openly and directly.
We are asking the University to respond by the end of Monday 19 January 2026. All responses will be shared with the student community.
Open for Student Group Signatures
We are inviting student clubs, societies, networks, and community groups to undersign this letter, showing their support for a university where disabled students can access, enjoy, and fully participate in every part of campus life.
Student groups can add their name via this form: https://forms.office.com/e/XiNEHhpdwj.
We look forward to working with you and your teams to create a more accessible, inclusive, and equitable University of Glasgow, for current and future students.
Kind regards,
Duncan
Duncan Calvert – President
Frank Chen – VP Student Support
Ayush Garg – VP Education
Eoghan Morris – VP Student Activities
Glasgow University Students' Representative Council
…and the undersigned student groups
Cover Image Alt Tag:
[ID: A digital campaign graphic for the “World Changers Need Access” campaign. The image features a blue background patterned with accessibility icons and large white text reading: “World Changers Need Access.” A torn-paper style white section below contains the text: “One Year On: What Has Changed?” with the SRC logo centred near the bottom. End ID.]