九州影院

What can I request funding for?

Accessibility Grants support attendance at online events as well as in-person events.

Individual requirements can be wide and varied, so the grant鈥檚 coverage is equally wide and each application is assessed on its own merits. For example, you might apply for funding to cover:

• extra travel expenses, such as wheelchair-accessible travel or accommodation options, taxis, or to permit a carer or personal assistant to travel with you
• personal assistance costs
• communication support services, such as a sign language interpreter
• assistive software support, such as closed-captioning or text-to-speech software
• assistive hardware or mobility/sensory aids, such as adapted technology or adjustable tools

We also take an expansive view of what disabilities, health conditions, and impairments can be. Funding can support event costs related, and not limited to:

• sensory impairments, such as visual or hearing impairments
• mobility impairments
• long-standing conditions and illnesses, such as cancer, HIV, diabetes, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, autoimmune diseases, and severe allergies
• neurodivergence, such as ADHD, autism, and dyslexia
• mental health conditions
• in some cases, short-term support required as a result of injury or illness

Restrictions on funding

Accessibility Grants will not cover:

• Applicant鈥檚 travel (unless related to accessibility needs)
• Applicant鈥檚 accommodation (unless related to accessibility needs)
• Applicant鈥檚 registration fees
• Applicant鈥檚 subsistence

Eligibility

You are eligible if:

• you are a chemist
• You are based in the UK or Ireland, or if you are based outside these countries, you must hold valid RSC membership for a minimum of three consecutive years, irrespective of any changes to your membership category within that time. 
• you will use these funds to cover, or partially cover, the cost of support or assistance that you personally require relating to a disability, impairment or health condition
• you will use these funds to attend and/or fully participate in a chemistry-related meeting, conference, workshop or professional development opportunity, and cannot access it via any other existing or statutory means
• you must have an active role in the event or activity, with the only exception being structured training or professional development programmes, where attending is considered an active role

Please note, we are unable to fund retrospective applications, please make sure that you allow at least six weeks between the submission of your application form and the event date. 

This grant is not intended to replace the responsibility of your employer, institution, venues or event organisers to make their events accessible to all attendees. Venues and event organisers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments to enable access to all attendees. For more information, see our quick guide to running inclusive events.

The arrangement of any support, care or assistance will remain the responsibility of the applicant and not the 九州影院.

What is disability?

Disability is defined as any long-term health condition or impairment affecting daily life, whether mental, physical, or both. Disabled chemists are diverse. We will support individuals with any experience of disability, including mobility and sensory impairments, chronic illness, neurodivergence, and mental health conditions.

What is the social model of disability?

Our standpoint on disabled inclusion and accessibility is founded on the social model of disability, which disabled activist groups developed. The social model affirms that disability is not an inherent characteristic of a person, but a dynamic of exclusion and disenfranchisement emerging within a particular societal context. This puts the onus on wider society to consider diverse access needs and make adjustments to policy and practice to ensure that disabled people can participate equally.

See for more.

How to apply

We will ask you to upload a full breakdown of the associated costs and proof of participation from the event organiser in the application form (link below).

Please submit separate applications for each event that you wish to attend, up to a maximum value of 拢1,200 per year.

As part of the application process, we may ask you for additional information to ensure that your application is eligible and appropriate for the remit of this grant. Please be prepared for further questions regarding your disability, health condition, or impairment, but be assured that any information you share will stay confidential.

We aim to respond to you within six weeks of your application. Please keep this in mind as we cannot fund retrospective applications.

Please note that if you receive a grant, you will need to complete a feedback form and submit receipts after your attendance at the event.  Future applications for funding may be impacted if receipts and the feedback form are not submitted for past awards.

Apply now

The application form below may take 15 minutes to complete. You can save a partially completed application form and return to it later. Once you have submitted your application you will not have any further opportunities to amend it.

Continuing an application?

Go straight to the form to continue your Accessibility Grant application.

Building a better chemistry culture

Everyone working in the chemical sciences should be able to take every opportunity to attend events that support their career and professional development. We also know that these opportunities sometimes present accessibility issues, and this can present financial challenges.

As a professional and membership body, and a leading voice for the chemistry community, we have a responsibility to promote inclusivity and accessibility in order to improve diversity. Enabling disabled chemists to participate in professional opportunities is a crucial part of that.