Summary
Pathways Academy graduate Katy McLeod reflects on her time on the course as the Centre for Accessible Environments reveals five past students are now working with them as access consultants, with some working towards National Register of Access Consultants accreditation.
Five past Pathways Academy students are now working for Centre for Accessible Environment’s (CAE) as access consultants, with some working towards National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC) accreditation.
Pathways is now in its fourth year and is a training programme supporting disabled Londoners to kickstart a career in inclusive design.
The programme is part of City Bridge Foundation’s Bridge to Work initiative, which aims to tackle the disproportionately high level of young unemployed disabled Londoners. Plans are afoot to ensure the programme continues and to explore wider funding options to expand the Academy.
Katy McLeod (pictured left) completed Pathways Academy and initially juggled her role as an Associate Producer at Cast (a theatre in Doncaster) with freelance producing roles and access-related work.
She said: “I didn’t expect to be working for CAE,” she said. “It’s been a career highlight. Many organisations just invest in a community through providing training, whereas CAE go that extra step: they deliver on their ethos and passion on supporting disabled people to work in access related roles.”
Katy added: “Pathways Academy training has led me to more opportunities in more ways than I can count. There’s also a lot of value in learning in an environment where all your peers have a disability; learning from each other enhances your understanding of course content.
“Opportunities like this don’t come around often – so to anyone considering applying, I’d say, pursue it while it’s still available.”
Katy is working towards becoming an NRAC registered Disability Access Consultant full time, developing a specialism in historic buildings, websites and apps. She also plans to write a guide on inclusive design for LGBTQ disabled communities.
CAE’s Head of Business Development, Fara Muneer, said: “We’re thrilled with the outcomes of Pathways Academy. Over 70% of students are now working in inclusive design and access, and it’s such an honour to be supporting the next generation of access experts.
“These students’ success is a huge testament to their dedication and the industry expertise of our trainers. We’re incredibly grateful to the City Bridge Foundation for its support.”
Applications are still open for this year’s Pathways programme, which begins in October 2024, covering assorted topics each month including:
- access auditing
- access design appraisals
- principles of inclusive design
- website accessibility
- designing for neurodiversity.
Prospective students can find more information and apply for the course at https://cae.org.uk/pathways-academy or email pathways@cae.org.uk with queries.