The Royal Society of Chemistry Inclusion and Diversity Fund (“RSC”) has funded the proposal Fostering inclusive access to analytical instrumentation following approval of the awards in November 2021.

Project summary:
Chemistry should be for everyone, which includes accessibility and operability of analytical instrumentation, such as software but also hardware (e.g. mass spectrometers…)
Within this project headed by Johanna Irrgeher from our Chair, the aim is to evaluate support strategies for promoting accessibility and operability of disabled scientists to analytical instrumentation. This includes a critical evaluation of barriers and difficulties currently in place. In close dialogue with disabled chemistry students and scientists and in cooperation with instrument manufacturers we would like to elaborate on possibilities on how to remove barriers to analytical instrumentation for operators with disabilities, e.g. including visually impaired individuals or persons using a wheelchair. This may include changes of the instrument hardware and accessibility but also needs for software to be inclusive, modifying, adapting or rewriting laboratory protocols for the inclusion of existing assistive technologies, to enable chemists with disabilities of different nature to undertake laboratory experiments independently.

https://www.rsc.org/prizes-funding/funding/inclusion-diversity-fund/