Making lab equipment more accessible for chemists with physical disabilities
By 
Mason Wakley2026-06-25T14:31:00
‘Chemical laboratories are often designed around a very narrow idea of standard talent,’ says one academic striving to make such spaces more inclusive
‘“Are you sure? You have to do a lot of lab experiments and you can’t do them”’. That was the reaction of some of Agustina Rocca’s family members when she told them that she wanted to do an engineering degree at the Universidad de la República in Uruguay.
Rocca has limited mobility in her arms and legs and uses an electronic wheelchair, though the restricted motion in her neck and chin allows her to carry out certain tasks. ‘My mum is very supportive and is always letting me try things,’ she says, adding that she had no qualms about going to university. And so, in 2018, Rocca became a part of the chemistry faculty as a chemical engineering student.