Student Ruqaiya wears dark glasses and a long green dress as she poses with her golden retriever guide dog and her Pathways certificate.
Fifteen disabled Londoners recently completed CAE ‘s Pathways Academy, marking the most successful year in the programme’s history and celebrating a significant milestone in CAE’s mission to increase representation within the access and inclusive design sector.
Pathways – which is funded by City Bridge Foundation, London’s biggest independent charity funder – is CAE’s award winning training programme created in 2020 to give disabled people in London the confidence, skills and support needed to kickstart a career in inclusive design and access.
The Class of 2026 celebrated completing nine months of specialist training with the cohort achieving a record-breaking 100% completion rate.
New access professionals
Students Marina (pictured in image at top of page holding her certificate, surrounded by CAE and Habinteg staff) and Sophia (image below) both attended the CAE event and spoke about their increased confidence when it comes to accessibility.
Sophia holds a CAE-branded cream canvas bag by her right side. She wears a denim shirt, black vest and light blue trousers. She has her legs crossed as she sits in her wheelchair.
Marina said: “I really loved the way that the course allowed me to learn things in a structured manner. It wasn’t all crammed into a couple of days. It was spread over nine months, which was amazing… I feel much more confident now when I speak with people about accessibility.”
Sophia, who has set her sights on work related to the accessibility of live events, festivals, or accessible housing, said: “The course was really empowering. It gave me so much knowledge and it built my confidence.”
For Sarah Bond, a 24-year-old architecture graduate from Romford, Pathways provided an opportunity to deepen her understanding of inclusive design and develop the practical skills needed to pursue a career in the field.
She said: “The experience I’ve gained on the course has helped me understand how to translate my understanding of inclusive design into written guidance and create access audits with practical recommendations.”
And that experience has already translated into employment. Sarah has secured a role with Arup as an Assistant Consultant within its Access and Inclusive Environments team and is now working towards National Register of Access Consultants accreditation.
Long term impact
Sarah Bond stands in front of a white CAE-branded backdrop, holding her Pathways Academy certificate in front of her lime green dress.
CAE’s Head of Business Development, Fara Muneer, said: “Pathways is a huge success and its demonstrating what can happen when people are given the right specialist training, networks, connections and practical experience. The class of 2026 experiences reflect what Pathways set out to achieve, giving disabled people the technical skills, professional networks and lived experience into a career in inclusive design.”
As demand for genuinely inclusive environments continues to grow, the sector increasingly recognises the value of professionals who combine technical expertise with lived experience of navigating inaccessible spaces.
Learning alongside peers with a range of disabilities, identities and intersectional experiences also brings a depth of insight that cannot be gained from technical guidance alone. Such perspectives help Pathways students see how the built environment is experienced in practice, challenge assumptions about accessibility, and bring greater empathy and insight into their work.
As CAE is part of Habinteg Housing Association, Habinteg Chief Executive Officer, Martin Warhurst, presented the students with their certificates at the event, which took place at Lift Youth Hub, Islington.
There was also a main address by Habinteg Director of Influencing and Communications, Christina McGill followed by speeches from Pathways’ trainers, CAE Associate Consultants, Vin Goodwin, Caroline Lewis, Neil Rogers and Ann Sawyer. (Image right: CAE’s Fara Muneer (left) stands speaking to Pathways student Carl Nandoo in front of a whiteboard.)