Action 2.2C Provide welcoming and sensory-aware spaces that support flexible use.

Guidance

Aside from meeting technical standards and embedding universal design principles via audits and inclusive procurement processes, organisations can take a range of measures in how they utilise, spec, and lay out the spaces available to them to make them more inclusive for all staff and visitors.

“Modest provisions to buildings, ramps, doors, seating and lightning can have a potentially significant impact.”

WIDE Consultation Participant – Disability Organisation

By establishing feedback mechanisms and engaging with disabled staff members, facilities teams/office managers can also build skills in identifying and addressing issues as they arise.

“Don’t be afraid to enter the space, and ask the questions, there are usually low hanging fruit that can be achieved without massive expense on the business, and (you can) work on one bit at a time”.

WIDE Consultation Participant – Employer

Depending on your organisation’s size and context, some of the issues which might need to be considered when assessing spaces are:

• Inclusive Wayfinding: Implement clear and accessible signage, with easily readable fonts with a strong colour contrast, to help all individuals navigate the building easily.
• Quiet Spaces/Pods: Provide sensory rooms and/or quiet spaces which staff who experience sensory overload can use as a space for focused work or self-regulation.
• Acoustics: Reduce echo and reverberant noise by adding soft, sound-absorbing materials to your spaces.
• Avoid fixed seating: Avoid equipping rooms and spaces solely with fixed seating arrangements such as tiered seating and seating booths. Fixed seating arrangements mean some individuals such as wheelchair users are excluded from using the space.
• Provide adjustable furniture: Adjustable height desks and chairs with multiple adjustable features allow staff to find an ergonomically optimal setup for them.
• Lighting: Reduce harsh overhead lighting where possible, and where possible, layer lighting with desk lamps with adjustable, warm-toned bulbs to allow staff to find their own comfort levels of lighting.
• Pathways: When laying out furniture and organising spaces, ensure that pathways to circulate around the building and use its functions are generously spaced and wheelchair friendly.

Issues to consider will be very contextual to your organisation, its premises, and your staff profile, so engaging with staff to gather their views is vital.

“Putting the phone receiver to my ear makes my hearing aid feedback, so I needed to use a loudspeaker, but was in a busy office and calls were of a confidential nature. But my manager facilitated the use of a private office for calls when I asked. I learned I needed to self-advocate.”

WIDE Consultation Participant – Disabled Person

You should:

• Consult with Disabled Staff – Engage Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and other disabled staff members about their experiences of the layout, design, and use of physical space. Their insights are invaluable in identifying needs and preferences, ensuring that the spaces created are welcoming and supportive.
• Develop Reporting Mechanisms– Establish clear mechanisms for staff and visitors to confidentially report physical accessibility barriers. This ongoing feedback loop is crucial for continuously developing awareness of barriers and improving the accessibility and inclusivity of the physical environment.

By engaging with disabled staff and creating feedback mechanisms, your organisation can create meaningful dialogue which supports more effective and inclusive use of your physical estate.

“Recently we’ve launched a multi-sensory and quiet working space, and the space has been a strong success.”

WIDE Consultation Participant – Employer