‘Protected characteristics’ are defined by law (see this EHRC page for more). That means we must legally pay attention to whether we are discrimating against people with respect to these, and not providing reasonable access is discrimination. Essentially, you should do everything you can to ensure that you are removing obstacles for people with these characteristics. The list was drawn up for a variety of contexts, such as workplaces. Within Higher Education, they are applied slightly differently (eg marriage status is less relevant than in workplaces where partners can receive benefits such as pension rights). Below are some overviews of how the protected characteristics apply in higher education, as guidance.