Associate Consultant Dee Tunc has been working with Centre for Accessible Environments for two years consulting on access audits, review drawings and training. Find out what still surprises her about working in the sector, and why she thinks, even though we were all locked down (and in) during the pandemic, it did nothing to increase awareness and understanding of the everyday accessibility challenges faced by disabled and older people.
What areas do you consult on at CAE?
At CAE, I focus on carrying out access audits, reviewing architectural drawings with an inclusion lens, and delivering training that raises awareness around access and inclusive design.
My background also allows me to integrate fire safety and egress planning into accessibility strategies—something I feel very strongly about. It’s been a great opportunity to bring together my experience in health and safety as well as inclusive and accessible design.
How do you define inclusive design and accessibility?
For me, inclusive design means creating spaces and environments that are usable and welcoming for everyone, regardless of ability, age, or background. If you design with everyone in mind from the start, you naturally create environments that are inclusive, accessible, and far more human-centred.
What inspired you to specialise in inclusive design and accessibility? Do you have a particular area of expertise within the field?
I’ve worked in safety consultancy for over 30 years, and when I began exploring access and inclusion, it felt like a natural extension. Understanding how environments can either support or hinder people’s safety, comfort, and dignity—especially during emergencies—really deepened my approach.
What some people take for granted can be a barrier for others, especially during evacuations. It’s not just about how people get into a building—it’s equally important to consider how they get out, especially in an emergency. Egress should be safe, swift, and allow for self-evacuation wherever possible.
Everyone deserves the right to leave a space quickly and with dignity. That’s why I always factor emergency planning and fire egress into access audits and design reviews—it’s a critical, but often overlooked, part of true inclusion.
What still surprises you about working in this sector?
Just how many buildings—even brand-new ones—are still not truly accessible. There’s often a lack of joined up thinking when it comes to access, especially for people with mobility or sensory needs. It’s frustrating, but it keeps me motivated to advocate for better practice.
My experience of auditing has taught me that organisations really don’t understand how to balance safety and inclusion, especially fire evacuation. They lack the experience of fire safety to understand what is and isn’t acceptable during an evacuation, e.g. it is not acceptable to expect security staff to go back into a burning building to assist those who may not be able to evacuate themselves, thereby risking their lives without proper equipment or training. This is the job of the fire authority!
Can you share a CAE project you’ve worked on that has had a significant impact on inclusion and access? How did it achieve this?
One of the most impactful projects I’ve worked on with CAE involved a comprehensive review of accessibility and emergency egress at a college based in a listed building. The project aimed to assess how effectively the college could evacuate disabled students, staff, and visitors, and to support the college’s wider strategy to become more inclusive and accessible.
My work involved reviewing current emergency egress provisions, identifying risks, and advising on necessary improvements in line with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This included ensuring the college understood their legal responsibility to provide both suitable access and egress for all building users, including wheelchair users.
This project was a great example of how access and fire safety must go hand-in-hand, and how listed or complex buildings can still achieve high standards of inclusive design and emergency planning with the right support.
What are some of the biggest challenges in inclusive design and accessibility within the built environment today?
A major issue is the general lack of understanding around inclusive design. People often see it as a checklist or afterthought, rather than something that should be embedded in the design process from day one. Accessibility is not one-size-fits-all—it requires thought, consultation, and thinking beyond your own experiences.
What do you see as the biggest barrier preventing disabled and older people from fully taking part in society?
Funding is a huge issue, particularly at the local authority and central government levels. There are brilliant ideas and strong legislation out there, but without the financial support, it’s difficult to see real change on the ground. The fact that we need legislation in the first place, to tell us how to treat other humans, is a good indicator of how far we yet have to develop as a society!
How do you think the pandemic has affected inclusivity and accessibility for disabled people?
For some disabled people, the pandemic made it easier for them to work from home, but that needs accessible technology. However, many people became more isolated, and budgets were squeezed, and accessible solutions – like adaptable equipment or inclusive public spaces – have become more expensive and harder to come by.
Mental health challenges are also playing a major role in most people’s lives post pandemic, and any progress being made with children with development issues pre pandemic was devastated.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing disabled people in the built environment over the next 5–10 years?
One of the biggest challenges will be shifting the mindset around accessibility from a box-ticking exercise to a fundamental part of good design. Too often, inclusion is treated as an afterthought or something to retrofit later, rather than being embedded from the very beginning. If we continue to only aim for minimum compliance, we risk creating new spaces that are already out of date in terms of accessibility.
With new builds and major refurbishments, there’s a real opportunity to get things right—but only if access is prioritised at every stage. That includes not just how people enter and use a space, but how they navigate it, and crucially, how they exit safely in an emergency. We can’t afford to repeat the oversights of the past. True inclusion means thinking ahead and designing with dignity, independence, and safety for all.
What do you think is the best way to overcome this challenge?
Education and collaboration. We need to bring access consultants into the design process early, and create stronger partnerships between architects, planners, safety consultants, and people with lived experience. Training is key too. Building teams need to understand not just the what, but the why behind inclusive design.
Are there any key insights or reflections on inclusive design and accessibility that you’d like to share?
Yes. Sight impairment is one area that I feel is still widely overlooked. Every time I walk into a new building, I notice how little has been done to support those with visual impairments. Whether it’s poor contrast, confusing layouts, or a lack of tactile information, it’s clear we still have a long way to go. But I believe with the right guidance and accessible emerging technology that inclusive design can be the norm—not the exception.