Wheelchair users at UCL reported major accessibility issues on campus amid restrictions imposed by the Quad closure.
Wheelchair user Jane told The Cheese Grater that some of the “accessible routes” announced by the University were in fact not accessible, from a broken lift in the Main Library to missing ramps over drainage channels on the Quad perimeter.
The complaint comes as UCL closed the Main Quad and Cloisters until at least January 2026 to deliver what it calls a “physically inclusive environment” ahead of its 200th anniversary.
Jane described the situation as “extremely frustrating” and said it shows the University had not conducted sufficient consultation with accessibility experts and disabled people. UCL did not respond to a request for comment.
She said she was told to “speak to the School” when she raised the issue with construction workers and security staff, who said her complaint would be passed to the hierarchy but that nothing could be done immediately.
Builders reportedly said the hoarding was laid out exactly as specified by the University, which insisted the route was accessible.
Jane was forced to take the long way around campus via Malet Place to get to the Main Library, only to find that the lift leading to the law section was out of service, leaving it – alongside the only accessible toilet in the Main Library – completely unreachable for wheelchair users.
She said the library staff did not know when the lift would be repaired and no one could provide her with an alternative route to the library.
'The first time I heard about the Quad closure was in The Cheese Grater'
Jane recalls “anxiously refreshing the FAQ pages” to “get a sense of what to expect” after learning of the Quad closure through The Cheese Grater.
Despite UCL’s insistence that “accessible routes are planned within all mitigations”, Jane said the lack of detailed information left her feeling “sceptical” about the claim.
The Quad closure had been mired in controversy since it was announced. Last week, The Cheese Grater revealed UCL spent nearly £200,000 to “evict” the former Art Museum, whilst an intervention by staff successfully saved three endangered trees on the Main Quad from being cut down.
Elsewhere, The Cheese Grater revealed how the University had repeatedly failed to accommodate its disabled students, from severe accessibility issues in Gordon Square houses to last year’s graduation ceremony when a disabled student was forced to receive his certificate on the floor because the stage in Southbank Centre had no wheelchair access.
