Accessing Archives Recommendations

Making Your Archive Accessible: Good practice guidance for archives and archivists

This guide is intended to support archives in thinking practically about how to make their services accessible to disabled researchers. It has been developed by the Accessing Archives network, a community of disabled researchers who use archives, drawing on our collective experience, input from archivists working to improve practice, and responses to our 2026 researcher survey.

Disabled researchers include people with physical disabilities, mobility impairments, sensory impairments, chronic illness, long-term mental health conditions, and neurodivergent conditions including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, as well as many other conditions that may not be visible. Many of the practices described here benefit all researchers, not only those with disabilities.

It is also worth noting that many disabled researchers genuinely love working in archives and want to be there. The goal of accessibility work is to remove unnecessary barriers to something that can be a source of real pleasure and professional fulfilment.

Legal duties

Archives that are public authorities are subject to the public sector equality duty under s.149 of the Equality Act 2010, which requires proactive consideration of disability, not simply responding to individual complaints. Archives that provide services to the public have duties under ss.20 to 21 EqA 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people.

Reasonable adjustments include adjustments to practices, policies, and procedures, as well as physical features of the building. 

The duty is anticipatory: you should be considering what disabled researchers might need and taking steps to address barriers in advance. Accessibility is not optional and does not require a specific complaint to be triggered.

Understanding the barriers

Responses from disabled researchers in our 2026 survey reflect the breadth of barriers that archives should be thinking about:

The Accessing Archives network identifies four major categories of barrier:

• Physical barriers, including access to the building, the reading room, and facilities, and the availability of appropriate furniture and equipment.
• Sensory barriers, including lighting, noise, temperature, and other environmental factors that affect researchers with sensory sensitivities, visual or hearing impairments, or conditions such as lupus and ME/CFS.
• Financial barriers, including the costs of travel, accommodation, reader fees, and the time required for extended visits.
• Neurological and mental barriers, arising from conditions such as autism, ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, depression, and other neurodivergent or mental health conditions that affect how researchers process information, manage unfamiliar environments, navigate new systems, or cope with distressing content. These barriers are often invisible and are frequently overlooked.

These categories overlap and interact. Good accessibility practice considers the whole picture.

Accountability and responsibility

One of the most important questions for any archive seeking to improve accessibility is who is responsible for it. Without clear accountability, accessibility improvements tend to be ad hoc, inconsistent, and dependent on individual goodwill rather than institutional commitment.

Questions to ask within your institution

• Is there a dedicated member of staff with paid accountability for archive accessibility, or is it a shared informal responsibility?
• Where does the accessibility plan sit institutionally, within a specific team, a wider EDI strategy, or nowhere in particular?
• Is there a strategy document or policy on accessibility, and when was it last reviewed?
• Who has authority to agree adjustments for individual researchers, and how quickly can they respond to requests?
• Is accessibility work recognised in workloads and, where relevant, in promotional opportunities?

Information and communication

Before the visit

• Publish clear, specific accessibility information on your website. Vague statements that you welcome disabled visitors are not sufficient. Researchers need specific information about physical access, available equipment, reading room conditions including typical lighting, temperature and noise levels, session flexibility, technology rules, registration requirements, and remote or digital access options.
• Be clear about registration requirements in advance. Inaccessible or unclear registration systems are a significant barrier that our members report repeatedly.

• Provide photographs and, if possible, a short video of the reading room and access routes. Seeing the space in advance is particularly valuable for researchers with sensory processing differences, anxiety, or autism.

  “Having videos and/or images of what to expect upon arrival helps the planning enormously.”  — Accessing Archives researcher survey, 2026

• Have a named contact for access enquiries, a specific person or team, not just a generic email. This makes it clearer for users, and means you have oversight of queries and can better plan and respond.
• Respond to access enquiries promptly and specifically. If you cannot meet a request, explain why clearly and suggest alternatives.

On arrival and during the visit

• Provide written orientation information as a standard part of the induction for all researchers. Clear written instructions - where to put your belongings, how to request materials, what is and is not permitted - help all researchers and are particularly valuable for those who find verbal instructions in unfamiliar environments difficult.
• Use simple, clear language in all communications and guides. Avoid assuming familiarity with archive procedures.
• Ask briefly and naturally whether there is anything the archive can do to make the visit work better. Offer this to all new researchers as a matter of course.
• Recognise the sunflower lanyard scheme or similar. A researcher wearing a sunflower lanyard may have a non-visible disability and may need additional support or patience. Staff should respond naturally and helpfully, without drawing attention.

The physical environment

Conduct an honest audit

• Can a wheelchair user access the building, the reading room, accessible toilets, and any other spaces researchers use? Is there accessible parking?
• Are doorbells and entry systems accessible to deaf and hearing-impaired researchers? Audio-only doorbells are a barrier that is easily overlooked.
• Are height-adjustable tables and supportive chairs available?
• Can lighting be adjusted, both level and type? Harsh fluorescent lighting is difficult for researchers with migraines, light sensitivity, or visual processing differences.
• Is temperature controllable? Overheated or cold environments are a genuine barrier for researchers with conditions including lupus, MS, and ME/CFS.
• Is there a quiet or separate space where researchers can take breaks, use voice recognition software, or work away from the main reading room?
• Can researchers drink water at their desk if they need to?
• How far away are lockers or other storage spaces from toilets and from archive rooms? Are these spaces well signposted and accessible? Will disabled staff have to travel significant distances more frequently to access toilets, water, or similar?

Equipment

• Book cradles, document supports, and foam wedges are low-cost and significantly reduce physical strain. If you have them, list them in your accessibility information.
• Magnification equipment and good task lighting benefit researchers with visual impairments and many others.
• Make clear what equipment is available to borrow, and ensure staff know where it is and how to offer it proactively.

Historic buildings

• Many archives occupy historic buildings with genuine physical constraints. Where physical adjustments are not possible, consider what procedural alternatives can compensate.
• Be honest about constraints. A researcher who knows about limitations in advance can plan accordingly.
• Heritage designation does not exempt an archive from its accessibility duties. The question is always what is reasonably practicable given the specific constraints.

Practices and procedures

Flexibility

• Offer flexibility on session length and structure. Shorter sessions, built-in breaks, and the ability to return to materials across multiple visits are reasonable adjustments that many disabled researchers need.
• Allow pre-ordering of materials as standard, ensure it is in an accessible format or allow this explicitly through special arrangement after contact with you, and encourage researchers to use this option.
• Where possible, allow materials to be held over between visits.
• Consider allowing researchers to carry documents to their desk themselves if they prefer, or offer assistance if needed. Flexibility on both is better than a single rule.

Technology

• Review your rules on researcher technology with disability in mind. If voice recognition software is not permitted in the main reading room because of noise, offer a separate space where it can be used rather than simply prohibiting it.
• Photography by researchers, where permitted, significantly reduces the time needed in the reading room and benefits researchers with fatigue, pain conditions, and many other disabilities.

Review your standard rules

• For each standard reading room rule, ask whether there is a legitimate reason for it. If a disabled researcher cannot follow the rule, is there an alternative that achieves the same purpose?
• Rules that exist for conservation or security reasons may be non-negotiable, but many are about convention. Be willing to explain the reason for a rule and to discuss alternatives.

Staff training and culture

Training

Basic disability awareness training for all reading room staff makes a significant difference and is not expensive. It should cover:

• Not making assumptions about disability from appearance. Many disabilities are non-visible.
• How to ask about needs naturally and without making researchers feel singled out or like a burden.
• The legal duty to make reasonable adjustments and what this means in practice.
• How to handle requests for adjustments, including who has authority to agree to them and how quickly researchers can expect a response.
• The sunflower lanyard scheme or similar.
• The full range of barriers disabled researchers face, including neurological and mental barriers.
• Deaf awareness.

Consider asking disabled researchers, disability charities, or the Accessing Archives network to contribute to staff training. Lived experience is often more effective than theoretical instruction.

Culture

• Reading room culture matters as much as physical accessibility. An archive can have excellent physical provision and still be unwelcoming if staff enforce rules inflexibly or make researchers feel they are asking for too much.

  “My autistic way of presenting myself makes me seem rude or difficult when I am not.”  — Accessing Archives researcher survey, 2026

• Train staff to recognise that disabled researchers may present or communicate differently, and to respond to the content of a request rather than its manner.
• If a researcher raises a problem during their visit, respond promptly and take it seriously. A small adjustment made quickly is far more valuable than a thorough review completed after the researcher has left.

Digital access

Digital accessibility is a distinct and important dimension of archive accessibility. For some disabled researchers, digital access is the only realistic route to the materials they need.

Digitisation

• Be clear and proactive about your digitisation services: what is available, at what cost, how to request it, and how long requests take.
• Consider your digitisation priorities with disability in mind. Materials that require extended in-person handling are strong candidates for prioritisation.
• Consider whether a subsidised digitisation pricing for disabled users is appropriate.
• Consider offering a remote reader service where a member of staff locates and photographs specific items on request. Even a limited version of this makes a significant difference.

Online catalogues and digital collections

• Ensure your online catalogue is screen-reader compatible and usable without a mouse.
• Provide adequate descriptions or transcriptions for images and documents where possible.
• Test your digital provision with disabled users. The barriers that matter are those that affect real users, which internal testing often misses.
• If your digital provision has known accessibility limitations, say so clearly and have a process for researchers to request alternative access. This is again where having a single point of contact can benefit everyone.

Eliciting and acting on feedback

How to gather feedback

• Ask specifically about access and accessibility, not just general satisfaction. Generic surveys rarely produce useful information about access barriers.
• Offer multiple routes for feedback: in-person, written, online, and through networks such as Accessing Archives.
• Make it easy to give negative feedback. Anonymous options are valuable.
• Ask follow-up questions: what would have made the visit easier or possible?

How to act on feedback

• Record access issues systematically, not just in individual emails or informal notes.
• Review feedback and access strategies regularly, identifying patterns and priorities.
• Communicate back to researchers when feedback has led to a change. This builds trust and encourages future engagement.
• Be honest when you cannot act on feedback immediately. Explaining the constraint is better than silence.

Collection and deposit policies

Accessibility does not only concern who can use an archive. It also concerns whose records are held there. Active collection policies that incorporate the history and experiences of Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent communities ensure that the archive reflects a fuller picture of the past. Similarly, deposit processes and onboarding requirements should be reviewed to ensure they do not create unnecessary barriers for disabled donors or depositors.

Ongoing improvement

• Review your accessibility provision regularly. Standards change, researcher needs change, and provision that was adequate several years ago may not be so now.
• Connect with the Archives and Records Association, national archive bodies, and disability organisations to stay current with good practice and legal developments.
• Share good practice with other archives. Peer learning is highly effective. If something works well, publish it or share it at professional events.
• Carry out access audits with input from disabled users, not just internal staff.
• Engage with the Accessing Archives network. We can share the perspectives of disabled researchers, contribute to staff training, review accessibility information, and help identify barriers that archives may not be aware of.

A note on resources

Some of the adjustments described in this guide require investment. Others cost very little. The most impactful changes are often not the most expensive: publishing clear and specific information in advance, offering written orientation, training staff to ask about needs naturally, and building flexibility into sessions cost nothing and make a significant difference.

Where resource constraints are genuine, prioritise. Good information, a named contact, and flexible arrangements serve the widest range of disabled researchers and should come first.

Archives that invest in accessibility attract a wider range of researchers, produce richer and more representative scholarship, and meet their legal obligations. Accessibility is not an add-on to the core mission of an archive. It is part of how that mission is fulfilled.

About Accessing Archives

Accessing Archives is a network of disabled researchers working with archives. We develop resources, share knowledge, and work with archives to improve access for disabled researchers. This guide forms part of our archives toolkit, developed with input from our researcher community and from archivists committed to improving practice. We welcome contact from archives seeking to improve their provision.

This guide was produced by Esme Cleall and Rachel Bright on behalf of the Accessing Archives network. Feedback and suggestions welcome.

Using Archives with a Disability:Tips and hints for disabled archive-users

All disabled people are different as all non-disabled people are different. Even people with nominally the same disability may have different needs and experiences. This guide is not intended as a definitive or exhaustive resource, and not all archives will be able to provide everything described here. It is intended as a starting point to help you reflect on what your needs might be, and how these might be explained to an archive.

This guide was developed by the Accessing Archives network, a community of disabled researchers who work with archives. It draws on the collective experience of our members, including responses to our 2026 researcher survey, across a wide range of disabilities and research contexts.

The joys and the challenges

It is worth starting here: for many disabled researchers, archive visits are genuinely enjoyable, even thrilling. The focused, purposeful, often quiet environment of a reading room can be a pleasure rather than a burden. Our network hears regularly from members who love being in archives, the direct contact with primary sources, the sense of discovery, the particular atmosphere of a reading room.

This guide exists not because archive research is impossible for disabled researchers, but because unnecessary barriers get in the way of something that can and should be accessible and enjoyable. Many of those barriers are practical and fixable.

Understanding your needs

Barriers to using archives can be physical, sensory, financial, neurological, or mental, and often a combination. They are not always visible to archive staff, and you are the expert on your own experience.

Survey responses from our members suggest that many researchers are reasonably confident about knowing what their access needs are, but significantly less confident about knowing how to access support. This guide is designed to help with that gap.

It can be helpful to think through your needs before contacting an archive. Useful questions to ask yourself:

• What conditions or disabilities affect how I work, and how might they affect an archive visit specifically?
• What time of day am I most functional? How long can I realistically work before I need a break?
• Are there sensory aspects of environments that affect me, such as lighting, noise, temperature, smells, or echoes?
• Do I use any equipment or technology that I would need to bring or that the archive would need to accommodate?
• Are there aspects of the archive experience, such as waiting, uncertainty, unfamiliar environments, new systems and catalogues, or distressing content, that I know are particularly difficult for me?
• Would it help to see the space in advance, or to have written instructions rather than verbal ones?

You do not need to have everything worked out in advance. Some things you may only discover on arrival. The most important thing is to feel able to raise concerns when they arise.

Before your visit

Research the archive

• Visit the archive's website and look for any existing accessibility information. The absence of information on the website does not necessarily mean the archive cannot accommodate you.
• Look for photographs or videos of the reading room and building. Some archives publish these; if not, you can ask. Seeing the space in advance is particularly valuable for sensory planning, access questions, and managing anxiety about unfamiliar environments.
• Check whether the archive has a named access or enquiries contact, and use that route rather than a generic email address if possible.
• Check what you will need to bring, such as identification, a reader's card, or a letter of introduction. Clear information about registration requirements in advance reduces the stress of arrival, particularly for researchers who find new systems and procedures difficult.

Contact the archive before you go

Email or call in advance to explain your needs. You do not need to disclose your diagnosis. You can describe your needs functionally, for example: I need to take a short break every hour, or I find it difficult to work in bright light, or I use voice recognition software. Most archivists want your visit to go well and will appreciate the advance notice.

Our members tell us that knowing what to expect, where lockers are and how they work, what to say when you reach the front of the queue, how the reading room works, makes a significant difference. These things are not always intuitive and are worth asking about explicitly.

Useful questions to ask:

• What are the physical access arrangements, including entrance, lifts, accessible toilets, and parking?
• Are height-adjustable tables or supportive chairs available?
• What is the lighting like, and can it be adjusted?
• What is the temperature like? Is it controllable, or does it vary?
• How noisy is the reading room typically? Some archives function as social spaces; others are very quiet.
• Is there a quieter or separate space where I could use voice recognition software, take breaks, or move around?
• How many items can I request at once, and can materials be pre-ordered to reduce waiting time?
• Can staff assist with carrying heavy boxes or volumes to my desk?
• Is photography permitted, and what equipment is allowed in the reading room?
• How long are sessions, and is there flexibility on breaks or shorter visits?
• Are any of the materials I need already available digitally, or can specific items be digitised on request?
• Are there clear written instructions or guides to using the archive available?

Think about funding and time

• If you are applying for research or travel funding, discuss your access needs with your institution or funder in advance. You may be entitled to additional funding to cover additional expenses if connected to your disability. 
• Both staff and students have certain rights around reasonable adjustments. You can discuss this with your Student Union, staff union, or other relevant groups around your specific situation.
• Plan to do less than you think you can, especially on a first visit to an unfamiliar archive. Travel, an unfamiliar environment, sensory demands, and the cognitive work of reading historical materials combine to make archive days more fatiguing than desk-based research.
• Be aware that we live in an ableist world and may want to perform ‘as if normal’ in terms of how much work we think we can do. Be realistic and be kind to yourself. One of the most common problems cited by members is over-promising and then being ill by the end of the archive visit.
• Access to Work funding from the UK government may be available to employed researchers to cover costs related to disability, including archive visits. Ask your employer's HR or occupational health team about this.
• If you are self-employed, some history societies such as the UK Social History Society do have funds. You need to be a member but do not need to be a professional historian to apply for archive expenses. 

What to ask for

Physical needs and mobility

• Height-adjustable tables or desks. Ask if these are available and whether one can be reserved for you.
• Book cradles, document supports, and foam wedges. Many archives have these but do not advertise them. They significantly reduce physical strain when working with large, heavy, or fragile documents.
• Assistance carrying boxes or volumes to your desk.
• An accessible parking space close to the entrance, if you are driving.
• A BSL interpreter if you require one. Give the archive as much notice as possible. Liverpool John Moores University Special Collections is one example of an archive that has offered this service.
• Clear information about desk dimensions and whether the space under the desk is suitable for a wheelchair.
• Permission to drink water at your desk, if hydration is important to managing your condition.

Sensory needs

• Adjustable lighting, or a workspace with natural light or reduced light depending on your needs. Migraines and light sensitivity are common among archive users.
• A quieter workspace if the main reading room is noisy or busy. Some archives have additional rooms that can be used on request.
• Information about typical noise levels and temperature in advance, so you can plan.
• A cooler or warmer workspace if temperature significantly affects your condition.

Neurological and mental health needs

Neurological and mental health barriers are distinct from physical or sensory ones. They may not be visible at all, and they can affect how you process information, manage uncertainty, navigate new environments and systems, regulate your responses, and sustain concentration. They are real barriers to archive use and deserve the same consideration as physical access needs.

• Written orientation and instructions about how the reading room works.
• Advance confirmation of the exact location, access arrangements, and what will happen when you arrive.
• Simple, clear written English in all communications and guides, without assumed familiarity with archive procedures.
• Permission to use voice recognition software, usually in a separate space.
• Flexibility on rules that may be particularly difficult. Explain what you need and ask whether an alternative arrangement is possible.
• Permission to take breaks as needed, including standing up and moving around.

Fatigue and chronic illness

• Shorter sessions with breaks built in. Most archives can accommodate this with advance notice.
• Materials held over between visits, so you do not have to re-request everything each time.
• Remote access or digitisation as a substitute for in-person visits for some materials.
• A quiet space to rest privately if you need one during your visit.

Financial barriers

• Travel, accommodation, and reader fees can be a significant barrier. Ask your institution, funder, or the archive whether any support is available.

• Some archives offer subsidised or waived fees for researchers with disabilities or on low incomes. It is worth asking.

  “My employer is often unhelpful. There is no special support for me doing research outside of my institution. Archives have never been asked about this.”  — Accessing Archives network member, 2026

• Digitisation requests can reduce the need for repeat visits and may be more cost-effective than multiple trips.
• The Accessing Archives network holds information about funding sources that members have found useful. Contact us if you would like to discuss this.

Working with distressing materials

Archives frequently contain records of trauma, violence, abuse, and loss. This can be unexpectedly difficult even for experienced researchers. Having a plan in advance, including a point at which you will stop for the day, is not a failure. It is good research practice.

• If you know your research will involve particularly difficult materials, it is reasonable to mention this to the archivist and ask about a quiet space where you can take a break privately.
• Be kind to yourself about pacing. Sustained engagement with distressing content is tiring in ways that are easy to underestimate.

On the day

• Introduce yourself briefly to the duty archivist and mention any specific needs. A short, functional description is enough.
• If something is not working, say so early rather than enduring it. Most archivists will adjust if they can.
• Consider wearing a sunflower lanyard if you feel comfortable doing so. These signal non-visible disability and can prompt staff to offer additional support. They are available free from many universities and most major supermarkets.
• Take breaks as you need them, not just when you think you should.
• Build in recovery time after your visit. Archive days are often more draining than they appear.

On disclosure

Survey responses from our members suggest that many disabled researchers are selective about when and to whom they disclose their disability, often disclosing within their institution or to trusted peers, but not necessarily at archives.

There is no obligation to disclose your diagnosis. Describing your needs functionally is usually sufficient and often more effective. How much you share is your decision.

Some members have found that not wanting to make a fuss has been a barrier to requesting support that was actually available. You are not making a fuss. You are doing your job.

Digital and remote access

• Many archives have digitisation services, some free and some charged. Ask specifically about whether the materials you need have already been digitised, whether the archive will digitise specific items on request, whether they offer remote reader or postal services, and whether holdings are accessible through national digitisation programmes.
• If an archive's online catalogue or digital collections are not accessible to you, raise this directly with the archive.
• Digital access is not a second-best option. For some researchers it is the only realistic route to the materials they need.

Your rights

Under the Equality Act 2010, archives that are public authorities or service providers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. This includes adjustments to practices and procedures, not just physical features of the building. You do not need to formally invoke your legal rights to ask for adjustments. If you encounter a serious access barrier and the archive is unwilling to engage, you can contact the Archives and Records Association or, if you are an employed researcher, your institution's disability or equality office.

The Accessing Archives network can offer peer support and information about your rights. We are not lawyers, but we can share experience and point you towards further resources. During this project, we benefitted from the advice of Buckinghamshire Disability Service (BuDs, https://buds.org.uk/). Disability charities are well placed to advise of access needs and rights.

Sharing knowledge

• Peer knowledge about specific archives is often more practically useful than official guidance. If you find good access arrangements at an archive, or encounter problems, share this with colleagues and networks.
• The Accessing Archives network is a space for exactly this kind of knowledge-sharing. We welcome feedback on your experiences, positive and negative.
• Our members have asked for direct connections with archivists and collection managers to share practical tips, and for guidance about navigating the legal aspects of support. We are working on both.
• Talking to friends and peers about their archive experiences is valuable. You may find that others have already navigated the same challenges.

About Accessing Archives

Accessing Archives is a network of disabled researchers working with archives. We develop resources, share knowledge, and work with archives to improve access for disabled researchers. This guide forms part of our researcher toolkit. For more information, to share your experience, or to get involved, please contact us.

This guide was produced by Esme Cleall and Rachel Bright on behalf of the Accessing Archives network. Feedback and suggestions welcome.