ACCESSIBILITY AT ESCOP 2025

Full details regarding the buildings that will be used during the main conference programme as well as photographs of the inside of these buildings can be found at this link.

 

There will be a registration desk located in the Diamond as you enter the building from the Regent Terrace entrance on the west side of the building, with staff who are available during the main conference events (i.e., from 8am to 7pm) to address any queries or issues arising.

 

All the buildings of the main conference programme are equipped with step-free and push-pad entrances, lifts from the ground floor (where needed), easy-access seats reserved for those with limited mobility, as well as accessible and gender-neutral toilets. The access guide for each building is linked below:

• The Octagon (where the opening ceremony and Broadbent lecture will take place on the evening of the first day of the conference, 2nd September)

• The Diamond (where most of the events will take place for the main conference programme, i.e., 3rd to 5th September)

• ICOSS (where several events will take place in room A16 during the main conference programme, i.e., 3rd to 5th September)

 

There are also several further buildings that we will use for the social events taking place during the main conference programme:

• The University Arms (where the PhD Event will take place on 3rd September)

• The Cambridge Street Collective (where the Conference Dinner will take place on 4th September)

• Kelham Island Museum (where the Farewell Reception will take place on 5th September)

 

During the spoken sessions (i.e., keynote talks, symposia, and regular talks), the presenters will speak into a microphone and the audience may also ask questions using a microphone. All the spoken sessions are delivered live in person and will not be recorded for later viewing. Some presenters may choose to make their presentations available on the conference app or on their personal websites for later viewing, but this is not a requirement of the conference. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to provide live captioning or sign language interpreting.

 

If you need a prayer room, the Diamond has male and female prayer rooms on Level C, First Floor, with Wudhu facilities nearby.

 

If you need a parent room (e.g., for nursing), there is a parent room in the ICOSS building directly opposite the Diamond in room B07f on the first floor.

 

If you need a quiet space, there are multiple cubicles in ICOSS on the ground and first floors that you are welcome to use on a first come, first served basis.

Full details for how to travel to the conference and parking can be found at this link. Besides these basic details, we have provided a little bit more advice further on.

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Parking

Besides the parking availability and charges that can be considered for the whole of Sheffield here at this link, we can also recommend Q Park on Durham Road and the NCP on Solly Street that are available to external visitors. Both car parks are open 24 hours and within a 20-minute walk to the main conference venues.

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Trains 

The train system in the UK can be confusing even for residents due to all the different types of tickets and their requirements. If you plan to organise your train travel in advance online rather than buying a ticket at a station, then we recommend LNER’s website. They clearly explain the ticket requirements before your purchase and their customer service chat is very helpful.

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Travel to the Venue from the Train Station

The train station that you would use to come to Sheffield is the city’s main station, the Google map location for which you can view here. From there, you have a few options for arriving at the Diamond (i.e., the main building for most of the main conference programme), which are listed below in order of cost.

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Walking

Walking from Sheffield train station will take about 20-25 minutes, as you can see from these directions via Google maps. Note that it is mostly uphill on pavements (sidewalks) through the city centre.

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Tram

Take the Blue line tram towards Malin Bridge directly from the station (Sheffield station / Hallam university stop) to the University of Sheffield tram stop. From there, it is a 2-minute walk to the Diamond. As you can see from these directions via Google maps, the journey should take about 15 minutes. As you can read here, a single (one-way) short-journey adult ticket should cost £2.50 and you can pay for it on board.

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Bus

There are a number of different buses you could take. The stops for these buses are located either from across the road opposite the station or from the Sheffield interchange to the right and across the road as you exit the station. The buses should take about 15-20 minutes to arrive at the Diamond and cost up to a £3 maximum cap for a single (one-way) adult ticket that you can pay for by tapping your contactless card or mobile pay as you enter the bus.

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Taxi

There are a number of taxis that could take you directly to the Diamond, and they are located to the left of the station as you exit the building, right about here via Google maps. Uber and other rideshare companies operate in Sheffield as well, which will also likely pick you up near this spot, but note that it is typically reserved for city taxis. The journey will likely take about 10-20 minutes (depending on traffic) and cost you between £5-15; you should ask the taxi driver what form of payment they accept. 

The main conference program will include two coffee breaks (one in the morning and one in the afternoon, both of which will include coffee/tea/water and nibbles), as well as lunch each day during the main conference (i.e., Wednesday the 3rd to Friday the 5th September). The food and drinks will be available during their allocated times in the basement and first floor of the Diamond. Please do not bring food or drinks (except for water) into the rooms in which the spoken presentations will take place.

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The catering for the coffee breaks and lunches will be provided by WithUs, which is the University of Sheffield's catering company. When you register, you will be asked to indicate any dietary requirements so that WithUs can ensure they have an accurate record and can plan for these requirements. You can read their customer allergy sttement at this link and information about sustainability at this link.