General External Approaches and Parking
There are two dedicated parking bays:
- On the front car park to the left of the main doors
- To the side of the building at the entrance to the Mermaid Square, next to an accessibility ramp
The front (Edgbaston Park Road) entrance may be difficult to negotiate without assistance. Mermaid Square offers ramp access into the Guild’s reception, retail area and directly into Joe’s Bar. The retail and Joe’s Bar entrances have automatic doors. The reception area has an automatic exterior door with a manual interior door.
The front car park is flat, however the ground slopes on the side of the building (on the route from the front car park to Mermaid Square). This slope is quite steep and may be challenging to negotiate, particularly for manual wheelchair users and those with mobility issues i.e. using crutches.
The Guild building is linked to the main campus by a bridge located opposite Mermaid Square. The bridge has ramp access with appropriate gradients.
Support and Assistance
If you require assistance or would like to speak to someone about accessibility requirements, please contact Guild Reception (8am-8pm) at 0121 415 9990 or please contact our Health and Safety Team.
For assistance after 8pm, please speak to the Duty Manager on shift, who will be wearing staff lanyards. They will be able to advise and assist with your specific needs.
During our evening events there are drop off points to the side of the building close to the mermaid square entrance.
General Level and Physical Access
Lower ground floor sits at different levels, with a ramp which allows access from one side of the building to the other. The ramp can be used to travel from the Underground and dance studio to the bookable rooms and the media centre.
The second floor may be considered challenging to navigate owing to the original structure of the building and narrower corridors. If you require accessibility support, please contact our Health and Safety Team.
The Guild ensures adequate level access to all our services. We have the provision of lowered counters and priority seating in our venues especially our main bar on ground floor – Joe’s Bar. If you have specific needs, please contact our Health and Safety Team.
The art room and McKellan (bookable) room on the second floor of the Guild in the east wing is only accessible via stairs. Please contact our Health and Safety Team if you require activity to be relocated because of this or if you require any assistance.
Lifts
The Guild building is spread over four floors, all of which can be accessed by a 5-person lift (maximum load 375KG and dimensions: 1030 x 930) located in the retail area (near the Nisa Convenience Store). This lift has space for one standard small manual wheelchair, with no standing room.
We also have an 8-person lift (dimensions 1390 x 1080) located by reception which accesses three floors (lower ground, ground and first floor) and is suitable for large electrical wheelchairs and/or a standard manual wheelchair with standing room.
Lifts are in use when the building is open. In the instance of a technical failure, lift inactivity will be signposted. However, lifts may be turned off during selected evening events, but Venue staff members will have access to a key as needed.
There is a platform lift outside the Deb Hall which provides accessibility to the backstage areas.
Toilets
There are accessible toilets on:
- the lower ground floor next to the female toilets near the Underground
- the ground floor next to the lift by reception
- the first floor next to the toilets by the Guild Study Space
All disabled toilets require a radar key, which can be collected from Guild Reception and are available for you to keep.
Mobile accessible toilets are used when our events are held externally. We aim to have a variety, with at least one that can accommodate users of large, motorised scooters/wheelchairs. Access and viewing platforms are available at key events and activities, such as Grad Ball – these are large enough for +1 companion. If you’d like to get in touch regarding access or viewing platforms, please contact our Health and Safety Team.
Refuge Points
There are 7 refuge points located on each floor of the Guild, which can be viewed on the Guild’s Emergency Evacuation Plan (under Useful Documents).
On arrival, staff will be able to inform disabled guests of the whereabouts of these points, but they are clearly marked and signed.
The emergency procedure has clear guidelines for the safe evacuation from these areas should that be deemed necessary.
Evacuation chairs are located by every staircase throughout the building and the two main bars in the Guild have lower areas so that wheelchair users can see and communicate with the bar staff easily during any emergency.
Tickets
Any student with a Student Support Agreement is entitled to benefit from the '2 for 1' ticket scheme for the following Guild events: Fab 'n' Fresh, Sports Night, Grad Ball, and Sports Ball. This enables disabled students to bring a companion to these events free of charge. If you wish to benefit from this scheme please contact our Health and Safety Team.
If purchasing your ticket via the Guild website, you will need to complete the purchase of one ticket as a single transaction. Early entrance options can be discussed and tailored to individual needs once you have emailed in.
Contacting Venues / Collection of Tickets
If you need to contact our venues department to discuss options for booking or collection of tickets, please email our Venues Team.
Strobe Lighting, Dry Ice, and Music
Strobe lighting is occasionally used at events. If strobe lighting is intended to be used at an event, a general warning will be clearly displayed in the venue during the performance.
There is the potential that dry ice or haze could be used at some events, plus at evening events such as our club nights there will be loud music.
For any visual or hearing concerns please contact our Health and Safety Team who will be able to support requests on a case-by-case basis.