Transforming Institutional Accessibility: The User-Led Accessibility Audit Tool (ULAA-Tool) as a Model for Staff Inclusion in Higher Education

Accessibility initiatives in higher education have traditionally focused on student support and regulatory compliance, with comparatively limited attention paid to the workplace experiences of disabled staff. This paper presents the development, implementation and institutional impact of the User-Led Accessibility Audit Tool (ULAA-Tool) at Trinity College Dublin as a participatory accessibility auditing framework that positions disabled students, interns and staff as paid accessibility auditors, combining lived experience with universal design principles to identify barriers across academic, administrative and workplace environments. Drawing on a university-wide programme of user-led audits, the paper examines how participatory auditing identified physical, sensory and organisational barriers frequently overlooked by traditional compliance-based approaches. Findings demonstrate that the ULAA-Tool contributed to significant institutional outcomes, including the development of a Five-Year Accessibility Enhancement Plan, the allocation of approximately €3 million in accessibility investment, the appointment of a dedicated Project Manager for Universal Accessibility, and the creation of a Universal Design Policy for the Physical Estate. The audits also informed environmental improvements, enhanced organisational awareness of accessibility issues, strengthened governance structures, and supported the integration of accessibility considerations into strategic planning and capital development processes. The paper argues that accessibility auditing should be understood as an ongoing institutional process grounded in participation, co-design and accountability rather than a one-time compliance exercise. The ULAA-Tool offers a transferable model for higher education institutions seeking to advance accessibility, universal design and the inclusion of disabled staff and students through evidence-informed institutional change.