Services

Access Guides

Developed continually with end users Access Guides describe access step by step as you journey into and throughout a venue. Each one is created through an onsite surveyor assessment, using a unique research tool. Access Guides are published on www.AccessAble.co.uk and the AccessAble App; free at the point of use and used by 1.8+ million people during 2020. Clients link their own websites and resources to Access Guides to improve inclusivity and maximise ROI.

• Detailed Access Guides – A comprehensive user Access Guide containing 1,000 + data points and 100 + photos these guides are intended for all buildings/venues where members of the public/staff are expected to spend more than 2 hours.
• Summary Access Guides – These are intended for those places that people are expected to spend less than 2 hours. They provide information relating to location, approach, entrances as well as key information about circulation.
• Route Guides - Using the same format as a Detailed Access Guide, these reference the key accessibility information of a designated A-B route on a ‘turn-by-turn’ basis. These Route Plans can be used as a tool to support people to understand how they might arrive at a venue (often from a transport hub), or navigate through a complex building (eg Hospital, University Hub).
• Route Guides – Using the same format as a Detailed Access Guide, these reference the key accessibility information of a designated A-B route on a ‘turn-by-turn’ basis. These Route Plans can be used as a tool to support people to understand how they might arrive at a venue (often from a transport hub), or navigate through a complex building (eg Hospital, University Hub).
• Virtual Access Guides – Sharing similarities with ‘Virtual Tours’ these immersive guides share 360 degree visual images with embedded access detail, providing a ‘virtual walkthrough’ of a building. They are ‘free roam’ Guides where the user can explore all aspects of the venue or space.
• Virtual Route Guides – Using the same technology as the Virtual Access Guides but follow a specific linear route from an A to B point, highlighting key features along the route with embedded detailed accessibility information. These can be applied externally, for instance from a car park to a main entrance, or internally to a key service in a potentially complex building.
• Destination Guides – These guides provide a more holistic understanding of an external environment such as streetscapes, public realm and designated areas/districts/quarters within an urban area. These Guides reflect the wider environment rather than simply the venues within it.

Access Audits

An Access Audit is an assessment or survey of physical and non-physical barriers to access using specific measurable criteria at a specific moment in time. These criteria are designed to observe the ‘user friendliness’ of a building from the point of view of disabled visitors or employees. The audits give recommendations or suggestions for improvements.

The survey findings are written into an audit report using either a narrative or excel spreadsheet format with recommendations and priorities. Recommendations are based on the service/s you provide and the age and type of your building to further help you to meet your anticipatory duty under section 20 of the Equality Act (2010) (which superseded the Disability Discrimination Act 1995).

Audits can be delivered in a number of different ways, depending on the scale and complexity of the environment and the needs of the organisation.

Walk & Talk Surveys

A ‘walk and talk’ survey is a practical, onsite survey of a venue/environment. These are conducted by one of our access and inclusive design consultants or trained surveyors alongside key members of the host organisation. The surveys can look at specific issues and problem areas, answer questions and provide immediate feedback. Host clients take notes of the key aspects of the survey which can then be reviewed by the consultant or surveyor and, if required, best practice guidance drawings can be added.

Best Practice Guidance Reports

A spreadsheet-based report, contrasting the information collected by our surveyors against national best practice British Standard, BS8300:2018 (Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment). They provide a prioritised index of potential improvements with an approximation of costs. They are generalised in their nature – they do not, for instance contextualise the recommendations in respect of age of the building, ownership, or usage. Estates and Facilities colleagues drove the development of this aspect of our service. The emphasis has been on the production of information that can be of immediate practical support without the need for the complexity of detail provided through a narrative Access Audit, which is often not required due to the familiarity of the estate and skills background of their internal team.

Risk and Improvement Matrices

A series of tailored Matrices aimed mainly at larger clients. They provide Estates and Facilities colleagues an overview to appraise their building/estate portfolio quickly and easily. These reports are often used in the risk management process and can be updated each year. Clients value the ability to track accessibility improvements across an estate over time.

Recent reports;

RAG (Red/Amber/Green) Rating Matrix – A matrix which looks at some key questions in relation to the accessibility of core features such as parking, entrances, reception areas and toilets. The document is often used by capital teams reviewing major works.

Low-Cost Improvement Matrix - A matrix that looks at low cost or no cost changes that can improve accessibility, such as missing or non-functioning hearing loops, alarm cords out of reach, lack of mixed seating. This document is often used by estates and facilities teams for minor works and maintenance.

Design Reviews

Drawing and design reviews provide detailed assessment of proposals to assess how a building or place can better meet the needs of all the people who will use it. The process involves a systematic review of the current design/drawing plans by an expert access consultant experienced in access and inclusive design standards. Comments can either be provided as a narrative report or as a table.

For new buildings, alterations to existing buildings, refurbishments, changes to a service and public realm. Drawing and design reviews help get improvement proposals right first time and avoid wasted costs.

Reviews can be undertaken at various points in the design timeline and are often aligned to project milestones and RIBA stages.

Inclusive Design Guides

Our Design Guides provide you with tailored inclusive design principles appropriate to your service or environment. This can then be used for any construction project, whether new build, refurbishment or material alterations. The Design Guides are primarily based on national best practice, but can also include sector specific guidance where appropriate, such as DH Health Building Notes as well as English Heritage where aspects of listed status apply.

This collaborative process led by an access and inclusive design consultant, enables the client to communicate their expectations to suppliers as well as a practical reference document for their in-house design teams.

Retained Support & Advice programme

Aimed mainly at larger clients who require a range of specific and ad-hoc advice, and for that to be made available on a more frequent basis. Reflecting the scale of the AccessAble team, with 35 full time Access Surveyors and Consultants, this programme enables clients access to information and advice on a more immediate basis. For some organisations this has replaced lost in-house expertise and enables them to manage risk more effectively.

The programme can be available 5 days per week to provide advice and guidance, answer queries or concerns and respond to issues. This programme provides the assurance to clients that issues can be dealt with swiftly and comprehensively.

Training

We offer a range of online and face-to-face training courses targeted at all levels within an organisation. Courses aim to support staff become more confident and comfortable in their engagement with both customers and colleagues.

Courses support organisations lower risk and improve both the working environment and the experience for people with access requirements.

Written by our founder, a practising employment and discrimination barrister, they uniquely combine renowned legal expertise with lived experience.

The courses include a series of embedded videos featuring our AccessAble Champions who have direct experience of the range of disabilities and challenges described in the training.

Our online courses are SCORM compliant and can also be hosted on our own LMS.

• Disability Essentials
  This is a course for everyone, designed to ensure people are confident and comfortable in their engagement with disabled people.
  The course would take the participant 30-40minutes to complete.
• Disability (Managers)
  This is a course designed specifically for managers. More detailed in content and able to cover aspects such as reasonable adjustments (from employers to service providers).
  The course comprises a series of modules with the intention that each module can be undertaken independently of each other.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Essentials
  This is a course for everyone, designed to provide a grounding level of understanding of the different protected characteristics.
  The course would take the participant 45 minutes to complete.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Managers)
  This is a course designed for anyone seeking to understand those protected characteristics in more detail. The course covers all protected characteristics such as, Race, Religion, Disability, Sexual Orientation. The course comprises a series of modules with the intention that each module can be undertaken independently of each other.

Our tailored face-to-face (F2F) training workshops have been developed through feedback from our current clients. They are delivered virtually or on-site through our in-house team.

Recent courses have been delivered on the following topics

• 'Making the most of your Access Guide’
• 'Inclusive Design Principles’
• ‘Practical application of Inclusive Design’
• ‘Attracting and retaining the Purple Pound’

Training can be delivered to all levels of an organisation, including on a train-the-trainer basis.

Inclusive marketing with AccessAble Ambassadors

Our 30-strong network of AccessAble Ambassadors (formerly AccessAble Champions) was originally established in 2018. In 2019, 2020 and 2021 collectively, 10 members of the AccessAble Ambassador network were included on the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List. The network has a total collective following of 250,000+.

Ambassadors represent a variety of impairment groups, ages, geographical areas and backgrounds. Each Ambassador has their own platform and audience, authentically sharing their lived experience of disability.

Through the power of the collective networks of our Ambassadors, we have supported clients with social media campaigns, filming projects, training content, focus groups, and much more.

Read this blog post to find out more about our Ambassadors