Access and Facilities for the Disabled

Disabled people have a right to expect the same treatment as any other person, and this right is now enshrined in Law - The 1995 Disability Discrimination Act.

The Act has a number of parts, some of which, including requirements for Employers, have already been in force for some time. 'Service Providers' will be required to have made any necessary physical alterations to their premises to allow proper access by disabled people by October 2004. There are no clear statements in the Act is to what changes have to be made in order to comply: reliance is made on individual disabled people bringing cases against service providers if they feel they have a grievance, and so it will ultimately be the Courts who determine what alterations can be regarded as reasonable. That said, the requirements of the Act are pro-active, and so it is in the interests of any service provider to had made reasonable efforts to comply if they wish to avoid being treated harshly in the Courts.

We can assist by carrying out Access Audits of existing premises, and auditing proposed new schemes to see if they appear to make reasonable provision for the needs of disabled people. We can also assist in implementing any recommendations.

We can discuss your requirements with you to see what services you could benefit from - we do not normally make a charge for an initial meeting.

We regret that our offices do not provide access for wheelchair users and the infirm - we can, however, make arrangement to meet you at more suitable locations, and respond to any other special needs you may have.