UEA Champions Inclusive Communication

Leading Communication Access: An Institutional Initiative

As a passionate advocate for communication, I have led a cross-institutional project since 2022 to enhance communication access for people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). An integral part of this project has included embedding the Communication Access UK (CAUK) initiative and achieving accreditation. A key focus has been upskilling communication partners so that staff and students feel valued, respected, and empowered throughout their academic and professional journeys.

“Speaking personally, as an autistic person, it has had a profoundly positive impact on me to see Lauren raising the profile of invisible barriers and working so hard to have these difficulties acknowledged and accommodated on campus. This is vital work”.  (Autistic Colleague)

SLCNs affect nearly 20% of the population at some point in their lives (Law et al. 2007), equating to >4000 people at UEA. Our campus community is diverse, including individuals with learning disabilities, autism, and hearing impairments. Many communication difficulties are invisible. Students from widening participation backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to SLCN. Additionally, those facing mental health challenges and international students often encounter significant communication barriers. Unmet SLCNs can negatively impact wellbeing and academic performance. The Communication Access Project (CAP) at UEA addresses the needs of these vulnerable learners across all divisions and services on campus.

“I am excited to see Lauren challenge and change university policies and practices to accommodate invisible disabilities, previously there was a significant bias towards accommodating mostly visible impairments”.  (Disabled Colleague)

As part of the wider project, I spearheaded a film campaign to promote the CAUK training. Taking a collaborative approach, I engaged over sixty staff and students from all sectors of UEA, securing funding to provide British Sign Language interpretation and ensured that captions were included, exemplifying best practices in accessibility. The film has been shared widely on social media platforms, reaching >96,000 followers, and is utilised during UEA open days and engagement events, reaching thousands of current and potential students.

“Lauren really made us think about the way we communicate with our stakeholders. My entire team completed the training, we changed our Welcome-Week and outreach activities as a result, impacting >29,000 students”. (Associate Director, Recruitment Outreach & Events, UEA)

By adopting an entrepreneurial leadership style, I united individuals across the university, breaking down traditional hierarchies. The film delivers a compelling message encouraging all to complete the training modules, resulting in >450 individuals accessing the training to date.

“Lauren’s work on communication access is transformative. This is an example of how an inclusion project should be run” (Professor Gillespie, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Student Inclusion, UEA)

Measuring impact

A principal aim of CAP was to evaluate the impact of CAUK training. I obtained ethical approval and collaborated with colleagues to integrate training modules into UEA learning platforms. Participants consented to complete bespoke pre- and post-training surveys that I created to measure impact.  Statistical analysis revealed significant changes in three key areas, as detailed in Table-1.

Table-1: Impact data from CAUK training.

N=337	Q1-I have a good awareness and understanding of communication difficulties.		Q2-I am confident in communicating with people with communication difficulties.		Q3- I can adapt my own communication to support people with communication difficulties.
	Pre-training	Post-training	Pre-training	Post-training	Pre-training	Post-training
Agree/Strongly-Agree	76%	97%	55%	90%	70%	94%
Disagree/Neutral	24%	3%	45%	810	30%	6%
t-test	Z=-6.65437, p-value<0.0001		Z=-8.65515, p-value<0.0001		Z=-6.66242, p-value<0.0001

 

The project has fundamentally changed UEA’s approach to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) as I have foregrounded that communication is at the heart of belonging. Findings are informing policy and practice to enhance the experiences of students and educators. I have driven significant advancements in our EDI practices, leading departments (Catering & Hospitality, Accommodation, Sport & Commercial Services) to mandate training for front of house staff, resulting in enhanced relational and inclusive practice. Furthermore, we have successfully implemented the display of the Communication Access symbol across campus, reinforcing UEA’s commitment to being a communication accessible organisation. I created a unique QR code and adapted the symbol design to navigate people directly to the online training platforms.

“Seeing the symbol around campus, has already began to make UEA feel even more inclusive and accessible”. (President Disabled Students’ Community, UEA)

Lauren’s project has helped “normalise something I have felt abnormal about for years, it makes me feel like it’s okay to have these differences. This makes me feel less alone”.(Student with SLCN)

Furthermore, I secured endorsement and accreditation from CAUK, a transformational achievement marking UEA as the first university to receive this recognition. I have recently obtained our annual accreditation for the third consecutive year. I am currently supporting other UK universities to gain accreditation and have successfully partnered with national healthcare providers to achieve accreditation, significant as our UEA students’ complete placements in healthcare facilities.

“Lauren has helped me appreciate individuals’ diverse communication needs. Consequently, I have adapted my teaching style to modify language.” (Research Fellow, St. George’s University of London)

Colleagues from external institutions are implementing Communication Access training and seeing ripple reach and impact; student mentors at the University of Westminster are using their training to support students with specific learning difficulties and Edinburgh Napier University are hosting a compassionate communication series following their training.

“(CAUK) made me reflect on my privilege… it has made me pause to ensure I am being as inclusive and considering all my students’ needs”. (Lecturer, University of Westminster)

By raising awareness around communication differences, individuals are feeling empowered, more confident when communicating with those who have SLCN and are more aware how they can adapt their communication to support SLCN, which has helped reduce stigma and negative experiences. Qualitative evidence shows that my influence on colleagues has positively impacted the student learning experience:

“I know I did a better job today after listening to you…I have changed my practice as a result and have found that my interactions with students have improved”. (Dr Forster, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Civic, UEA)

The CAUK training “has increased my confidence in communicating with everyone, and as a medical student, I will be using this in my clinical practice as well as my day-to-day life”. (Medical Student)

Recognition, dissemination and public engagement

Project findings have been shared at national forums, including Advance HE (2024), the Association of Advanced Practice Educators (2024), and the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists Conference (2023). I have recently submitted an academic paper – Flannery, L., & Bunning, K. (n.d.). E-learning for Inclusion: An Evaluation of Institution-wide Communication Access Training in UK Higher Education. Journal of Inclusive Education (link to follow) – and further amplified the CAUK initiative through blogs and professional bulletins. I have also engaged local and regional audiences, for example at the Norwich Science Festival (2023).

Additionally, I hosted a summer school workshop for students from Tohoku University in Japan, to share Communication Access UK as part of a wider workshop on EDI and extend impact beyond UEA.

I am proud to have led a comprehensive, institution-wide programme with demonstrable impact, reach, and value, recognised through sector awards including the UEA Engagement Project Award (2024), the Faculty Research Impact Award (2023), and as a finalist for the RCSLT Award for Fostering Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (2024). In September 2025, I was recognised nationally with a Change H.E. Award, which celebrates individuals driving meaningful change in Higher Education through action, inclusion, and impact.

“Your commitment to inclusion, accessibility, and belonging in H.E. is inspiring, and your leadership has created change that extends far beyond your own institution”. (Founder, Change H.E.)

The Communication Access Project has shifted UEA from sporadic accommodation to institutional capability in inclusive communication. By coupling relational leadership with targeted evaluation and visible action, we improved skills and confidence at scale, reduced stigma, and reshaped policy and practice. The sector-first CAUK accreditation, strong outcomes, and sustained reaccreditation show this is change that lasts, and continues to grow through partnership.

Anybody driving meaningful change in Higher Education knows it takes persistence, but that’s what it takes to dismantle barriers and make inclusion a reality. Seeing the impact from the CAUK initiative at UEA, through students who grow in confidence, colleagues adopting new inclusive practices, and even other institutions following UEA’s lead, is a real reminder of why this work matters and gives me renewed energy to keep pushing for change, even when the path is challenging.

Lauren Flannery is a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist and an Associate Professor in the School of Health Sciences at the University of East Anglia. She holds a University Teaching Fellowship and is passionate about inclusion and accessibility within Higher Education. Relational pedagogy underpins much of her teaching, scholarship, and leadership, centering communication, connection, and mutual respect as essential to learning.