Accessibility Fund
Find out more about the fund that supports members with accessibility needs who wish to attend physics-related events to develop their careers but face financial struggles.
The Accessibility Fund is a partnership between the Institute of Physics (IOP), The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) and the Physics Benevolent Fund. It is aimed at supporting members who wish to attend physics-related events to develop their careers but face additional costs because of a disability or because they are the primary carer for a family member, by providing grants for their accessibility needs or caring responsibilities. Please read carefully the examples of costs we can cover in the next section.
What do we fund?
We appreciate that you can have a wide range of costs associated with meeting your accessibility needs and support. For example, you can apply for funding to cover:
- assistive devices and equipment;
- extended hours for a childminder or care worker;
- babysitter costs;
- travel expenses for friends or relatives to care for your dependants;
- after-school activities, clubs or play schemes; and
- medical, nursing or respite care.
This is not an exhaustive list and members’ applications will be assessed on their own merits.
What do we not fund?
The fund will not cover accessibility needs or support that is the responsibility of employers, universities or other education providers, institutions, venues, or event organisers to provide support to enable reasonable access for attendants e.g. in meeting accessibility requirements or providing a British Sign Language interpreter.
Who can apply?
To apply for the grant you need to:
- be a member of the IOP or IPEM for the past year
- attend a conference, meeting or event meeting or event within the disciplinary interests of IOP or IPEM
How much is the grant?
Up to £500 in any year.
How to apply
The application is designed to be straightforward and we ask you to provide brief details of the event and a description of how you will use the grant.
To apply for support from the Accessibility Fund, please complete the application form (DOC, 23KB) and send it to [email protected].
After the event, we ask you to complete and return a brief feedback form. The funds will be paid when we receive this feedback. We will not normally consider retrospective awards.
This fund was previously the Carers’ Fund.
More information
If you have any queries on the fund, please email [email protected].