Disability Resource Centre (DRC)

Department of Chemistry

Contact Details

Address

University Chemical Laboratory,
Lensfield Road,
Cambridge CB2 1EW

Tel.

01223 336 300 (Reception)

Fax

01223 336 362

Email

reception@ch.cam.ac.uk

Web

www.ch.cam.ac.uk

Map

http://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/content/directions-department-chemistry

Access Issues

Contacts

Saftey Officer

Dr Margaret Glendenning

Tel.

01223 763 936

Email

meg27@cam.ac.uk

Disability Liaison Officer

Mrs Christine Wilson

Tel.

01223 336 453

Email

cms39@cam.ac.uk

Estate Management

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/em/

Location (see map above)

Care should be taken when entering or exiting the premises at the front of the building onto Lensfield Road (west side), as the vehicle barrier raises and lowers automatically.

If you exit left from the premises, it is a good 5 to 10 minute walk to the city centre via either Trumpington Street (passing the Fitzwilliam Museum and Disability Resource Centre) or Tennis Court Road continuing into Downing Street and past the Lion Yard car park.

If you exit right from the premises, it is a few minutes walk to the top of Lensfield Road. Turn left at the traffic lights into Regent Street, or continue over the traffic lights for Parkers Piece which is a short distance to your left (opposite the Queen Anne Terrace mullti-storey car park in Gonville Place). The Grafton Centre is a further 5 minutes beyond. Or turn right into Hills Road at the Catholic Church which leads to a left turn into Station Road after 5 minutes (the Botanical Gardens are situated right at this junction). Cambridge Railway Station is located at the end of Station Road. You should allow 10 to 15 minutes walking time to and from the department.

Traffic in the area

Lensfield Road is very busy, and can be congested with traffic at most times of the day. Extra care should be taken due a high volume of cyclists and pedestrians who weave their way in and out of often stationary vehicles. Particular care should be taken where traffic filters into additional lanes.

Parking

The Department has a small staff car park in front of the main building which offers two disabled bays. If a space is required, enquiries should be made to reception in the first instance, as any parking space must be reserved in advance. It may prove possible for a disabled person to obtain a parking permit.

Nearby transport

The University Uni 4 bus is a subsidised service for those students and staff who produce a University card. This runs from Madingley Road Park-and-Ride to Addenbrooke's Hospital Bus Station. There is a bus stop on Trumpington Street. Other Citi bus stops are located in Lensfield Road, Hills Road and Regent Street.

Departmental Information

Entrance to the Department (other than into Reception and the East Wing foyer,) is via Electronic Access Control card readers, and requires the use of a University Photo ID Card. Access can be gained by authorised card-holders only. Emergency egress (exit) can be achieved via the green break-glass points adjacent to the card readers if necessary; these doors will generally 'unlock' on activation of the fire evacuation signal.

The fire evacuation signal is a 'two stage' voice alert, in that the 'evacuate' alert may be preceded by a 'prepare to evacuate' voice alert during normal working hours.

Since the VOIP telephone system may be affected by power or computer failures, a secondary 'hard wired' red emergency phone network is located on the main landings, and can be used to contact Reception, and to raise alarms.

Almost all teaching and research is contained within the main Department building, and the newer 'Unilever' Centre. Access to most areas is possible, but can be difficult, so it is necessary to telephone and arrange a prior visit.

Entrances

Some hand-railed steps are provided to the main front entrance, which has heavy manual doors.

Ground level wheelchair access is available to the rear entrance only (East Wing), which is located adjacent to the Scott Polar Research Institute. Entrance is via access-controlled doors at ground level. It is necessary to make a prior arrangement with Reception (see details above), or with the event organiser.

Signs and Wayfinding

There is little directional signposting. The building is large, multi-floored and complex, so ask for assistance if needed.

Number of floors

There are five floors in the main building, including the basement plus a sub-basement; there are three floors in the Unilever Centre building, including a basement. Access is restricted throughout in certain high-risk areas.

Lift and stairs

Two passenger lifts are provided in the main building and one in the Unilever Centre, which give pedestrian access to all floors. Walkways provide access between the main and Unilever buildings on the mezzanine and first floors. All stairs have continuous handrails.

Wheelchair access in the East Wing foyer (entry point for undergraduate lectures), is constrained by the requirement to have a suitable and sufficient individually written Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP).

Details about Fire Safety Arrangements for Disabled Persons produced by Estate Management can be found at weblink:

• www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/em/safety/fire/publications/factfiles/fire_safety_factfile_d1.pdf

NB: In the event of a fire alarm activation, all departmental lifts descend to the basement and remain there with their doors open until after the alert is over, and are therefore NOT suitable for inclusion in an individuals PEEP with respect to emergency evacuation.

A battery powered stair-climbing device is located in the Department for the use of trained operators to facilitate wheelchair egress. Its inclusion in a PEEP requires trained users to be available for the duration of the time required, which cannot be assumed without prior arrangement.

Assuming a suitable and sufficient PEEP has been written, level access to the building is currently via the Unilever building fire exit lift and walkways, or via the service lift located at the Technical Services entrance. Ask for assistance if needed. Both routes require prior arrangement to be made with Reception in the main entrance (see details above).

Lecture Theatres

There are three large lecture theatres in the main building. The Wolfson and Pfizer lecture theatres are located immediately beyond the main entrance (West Wing), and the Bristol Myers Squib (BMS) lecture theatre is located immediately opposite the East Wing entrance. All provide tiered fold-down seats.

A smaller Unilever lecture theatre is located at ground level in the Unilever Centre building.

Lecture Theatre entry and exit

Pedestrian access to the Wolfson and Pfizer lecture theatres is through Reception (West Wing) at the front of the building. However wheel chair access to these lecture theatres is not straight forward, potentially involving the use of lifts which are not suitable for emergency evacuation, and passage through Mifare secured doors. Therefore if wheelchair access to these lecture theatres is required, sufficient advanced notice must be given, and an individual PEEP must be in place before access can be granted.

NB: The restricting factor is not entry but rather exit from the building in an emergency evacuation.

Note: The 'Stores' access ramp on the West Wing, is out of bounds to non-authorised personnel, and is not suitable for wheelchair access, due to the complex multiple hazards associated with it.

Wheelchair access to the Bristol Myers Squib Lecture Theatre (BMS) is via the first side access ramp to the right of main entrance doors to the East Wing foyer at the rear of the building. These 'automatically' opening doors require a specifically authorized Mifare card, and therefore access must be arranged through the Department, with sufficient advance notice. Further access from the foyer to the interior of the BMS lecture theatre is via a temporary ramp beyond the left hand entry doors at ground level. This ramp gives access to the 'mezzinine' level, where wheel chairs can be positioned to the right or left hand sides, taking great care NOT to position them immediately in front of the stairways leading down to the lower level.

Wheelchair access to the front of the three main lecture theatres is not straight forward, potentially involving the use of lifts which are not suitable for emergency evacuation, and passage through Mifare secured doors. Therefore if wheelchair access to the front of the lecture theatres is required for a speaker or similar pressing need, sufficient advanced notice must be given, and an individual PEEP must be in place before the access can be granted.

NB: The restricting factor is not entry but rather exit from the building in an emergency evacuation.

In addition, space at the front of lecture theatres may be restricted when practical demonstrations are performed, eg during Science Week, due to health and safety considerations, depending upon the nature of the demonstrations.

Lecture Theatre Facilities

There are large white screens in all lecture theatres.

All internal stairs are marked and have continuous handrails.

Some glass doors are installed, specifically in the Unilever building.

Induction Loops

Induction loops are installed in all lecture theatres.

Large print, Braille and audio

Large print information is available on prior request.

Touch-readable buttons are provided in the Unilever building lift, but not in main building lifts.

Assistance Dogs

Please contact Reception in advance, if you want to bring your assistance dog into the building.

Seminar and teaching rooms

Several meeting rooms are accessible to pedestrian access, and have moveable furniture.

Laboratory benches are all provided at standard height with laboratory stools. Adaptations may prove possible, following an initial visit.

Medical facilties

During normal working hours, Monday to Friday, there are many first aiders on site. A newly appointed First Aid room is located in the rear foyer (East Wing) adjacent to the BMS lecture theatre.

If a first aider is required during normal working hours, they can be summoned via Reception (43027) or via University security outside of normal hours (101).

Emergency procedures

In the event of an emergency, a PA system operates from Reception.

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans must be drawn up and agreed with individuals, by the person(s) responsible for organising the access.

NB: The restricting factor is not entry but rather exit from the building in an emergency evacuation.

Catering arrangements

The Cybercafe is located in the Unilever building on the second floor, and offers a range of food and drinks, Monday to Friday. Vending machines are located in the Cybercafe. However if wheelchair access is required via the lifts to the Cybercafe, sufficient advance notice must be given, and an individual PEEP must be in place before the access can be granted.

NB: The restricting factor is not entry but rather exit from the building in an emergency evacuation.

During Term time, the East End of the building foyer (facing the Scott Polar Institute), sells a range of food and drinks. Access to the foyer is via the first side access ramp to the right of the main doors to the East Wing foyer at the rear of the building. These 'automatically' opening doors require a specifically authorized Mifare card, and therefore access should be arranged through the Department, giving sufficient advance notice.

Toilets

Two disabled toilets are located outside of the entrance to the Cybercafe but entry is awkward (see reference made above for Cybercafe access).

There is one further disabled toilet on the fourth floor of the main building, which is located on the South West corner near a lift.

Access to all other toilets is by steps.

NB: The restricting factor is not entry but rather exit from the building in an emergency evacuation.

Chemistry Department Computing

Computing Services are provided at University, Department and Group level. Full details of departmental computing services can be found at weblink: http://www-co.ch.cam.ac.uk/

Our Computing Officers provide help with all IT-related matters. Their contact email address is: support@ch.cam.ac.uk

Both wired and wireless network connections are available, which provide different levels of access to facilities such as printers and journals.

All clusters of Public Work Station facilities are linked to a central fileserver and printing facilities. A wide range of software is available, and details vary between clusters.

All of the PCs dual-boot between SuSE Linux and Windows XP, providing a Unix environment for those who need such facilities. Both the PCs and iMacs have a range of general applications such as Microsoft Office and Internet applications, but some applications are only available on PC and some on Mac. Chemistry-specific software includes HyperChem and ChemOffice. Machines in the Unilever Centre provide a different and more research-oriented selection of software.

Special hardware or software for visually impaired users can be made available upon request, given sufficient notice.

Chemistry Department Library

The library occupies the first floor of the Unilever Centre, which is connected to the main building by a bridge at mezzanine level. Level access is provided from a lift and requires a validated Mifare card. Exit is by awkward push-button.

Detailed information about the Library and Information service can be found at www-library.ch.cam.ac.uk

The Chemistry Library print holding includes books, periodicals and series titles; 24 terminals (20 PCs and 4 Macs) provide access to University-subscribed electronic resources. All library computers are on the Public Workstation Facility (PWF) network.

The library is normally staffed between 8am and 4:30pm Monday to Friday, and offers plenty of workspace with low self-issue desks, extra lights and moveable swivel chairs. A photocopier is available, and other magnification equipment can be made available upon request, given sufficient notice.

NB: The restricting factor is not entry, but rather exit from the building in an emergency evacuation.

Smoking

The Department operates a no-smoking policy. Smoking is only permitted on the west side of the building (front), at the Panton Street entrance to the car park. Smoking is not permitted anywhere else on site.

Specific Learning Difficulties

Prior contact should be made with the Safety Officer and Disability Liaison Officer, in order to set up a meeting to discuss any specific learning difficulties. Confidential discussions are conducted through liaison with, and in some cases in conjunction with, the Disability Resource Centre (DRC).