About Access

About Access provides a variety of services concerned with disabled access and specialises in helping organisations improve accessibility

About Access are specialists in helping organisations understand the Equality Act 2010, accessibility and addressing access issues.

The company offers consultancy and accredited practical advice on access to and within buildings, including how the features of a property can help or hinder accessibility.

Our services range from the preparation of Design and Access Statements for new planning applications to audits of completed projects and guidance on what to do when things go wrong.

Access Audits

Access audits are at the core of our business. We can provide access audits anywhere in the UK and even overseas. The report details the barriers to access and makes recommendations on how to improve the accessibility of the building and service.

The audit considers the relationship between people with access requirements and the building from a pan-disability perspective. We are not, in itself, concerned with the condition a person may or may not have but rather how a feature of the building may create a barrier and, therefore, be disabling to them. Nevertheless, it is useful to understand the types of conditions which we know might create access barriers and these typically are:

• mobility impairments including the use of wheelchair and mobility scooter
• deaf and hearing impairment
• limited manual dexterity
• sight impairment
• neuro-diversity and associated impairments

The assessment takes the form of observation and measurement. Observation is important because it lets us see how the building is used, as opposed to how it was intended to be used.

Training courses

About Access delivers training courses on a range of topics including disability awareness and policies, and on the provisions of the Equality Act that are relevant to access. We also conduct courses for aspiring access auditors and we provide guidance for architects.

The company’s aim is to help companies and other organisations ensure that their premises are accessible, and their staff are properly trained and aware of the needs of disabled people and the business opportunities that can result from looking after them properly.

Successful outcomes

Successful outcomes are a more inclusive world in which disabled people are treated fairly and everybody else recognises that access is about procedures and policies as much as physical barriers.

About Access works with organisations of all sizes around the country in the public and private sectors, and on all property types from listed buildings to those still on the drawing board.

Managing director Ian Streets is a member of the National Register of Access Consultants and the Access Association and as such works with BSI Standards, the UK’s national standards body, to advise on appropriate designs for buildings and their surrounding areas.

Services

• Access Consultancy
• Access Audits
• Access Statements
• Strategic Planning
• Part of your Design Team
• Training

As one of PBC Today’s valued stakeholders, About Access offers invaluable insight into accessibility, from knowledge to technical reviews and sector-leading observations.

You can access stakeholder related news, reports and guides below.