Disabled student outrage in aftermath of King’s Manor move

27/07/2024

Nouse investigates the lack of faith in the University's accessibility, and the discrimination disabled students face from those fighting for King's Manor to remain open.

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Image by Josh Haining

By Tom Layton

The University of York’s decision to end its use of King’s Manor has highlighted the fundamental challenges that disabled students face at York. Groups opposing the move have been accused of ignoring disabled students’ basic rights. There are also significant concerns about the accessibility of the West Campus locations that departments will be moving to.

A recent “Save King's Manor” petition has gained over a thousand signatures. The owner, current PhD student Constance Halstead, criticises the University’s decision to move three departments out of the city centre heritage site, calling it a “short sighted and insular act which would diminish the local and global impact of the university.”

We reached out to Victoria Cornford, Archaeology graduate and Disabled Students Officer for three years, who is a wheelchair user. She described comments by petition supporters as “disgusting and discriminatory”. Cornford highlighted how several comments ignored the site’s accessibility issues, with one comment arguing that disabled students could rely on online access. She told Nouse that this ignores “the equal rights that they have” to the same education as their peers. The comments under the petition can be viewed here.

Despite the University of York’s citing of “accessibility concerns” as a key reason for closing the site, the petition’s description makes no mention of these challenges, which include inaccessible supervisor offices, two lecture theatres which are both inaccessible to wheelchair users, only one accessible seminar room, and a lift with “terrifying” metal doors that are impossible for wheelchair users to operate. Cornford noted how frustrated students and staff were ignoring these issues, and stated that: “their pride comes before disabled students' basic rights”.

Cornford also highlighted a wider lack of faith in the University to provide for disabled students. She told us that “they expect the University to actively violate [their] rights”. She gave the example of how, when faced with “hate towards my disability from fellow students”, she was told by [a now ex] staff member that “it’s natural they’ll resent you if you don’t work as hard.”

She recalled how, when a seminar was moved to an accessible on-campus location, she felt “trapped” by unmanned receptions and a lack of signposting to a lift, which was in a different building. Weighted doors in Derwent College also meant she had to wait for assistance to enter: “It makes you feel subhuman, having to ask other people for permission to exist.”

Indeed, ex-student Carol Leyland, who is disabled, told us how the removal of disabled parking spaces behind the JB Morrell library left her physically unable to access the only library on-campus. “I don’t use a wheelchair or scooter yet so I walk very short distances but there is no way I can walk up and over the bridge. I asked to be able to use a different access but was denied as [it was] staff only.”

The current postgraduate disabled community has voiced concern over the accessibility of West Campus sites their departments will be moving to. In a message to the Graduate Students’ Association, a current PhD student expressed anxiety about the “huge constraints on space on campus, especially study spaces and quiet spaces needed for those like myself who have disabilities which impact where we are able to work”.

A PhD student currently working at King’s Manor highlighted the difficulties of co-locating workspaces, arguing that “the implied changes will certainly have a huge impact on anyone who relies on having a regular work space, particularly those living with disabilities.” Another student echoed this, emphasising that “open plan office spaces are not accessible for those like myself who are neurodiverse.”

When asked about York’s appeal to those living with disabilities, Leyland commented that the design of the University “puts off disabled people from applying”.

A University of York spokesperson told Nouse that “King’s Manor is a wonderful listed building, but sadly not fit for modern academic use - it is one of our least accessible across the whole estate, particularly for people with a physical disability.”

“We are listening to the concerns of current King’s Manor users and we are now working with staff and students on co-locating to a new home on Campus West. We have more scope to make changes where issues are identified, which are not always possible in an historic building, and identify the right kind of spaces for study and research. “

“In consultation with our unions, disabled staff and student networks, we are always looking to improve, make reasonable adjustments, and every year we make changes across our campus to make it more inclusive and accessible.

“We want every student to get the most out of their university experience and are committed to supporting the needs of all our community.”

Note: for legal reasons, Nouse is unable to name or quote the authors of petition comments.