Blog: AccessAble - online accessibility information for venues

Jo Brett, from AccessAble, writes about the value and necessity of freely available guidance for millions of people before they visit places...

At AccessAble our mission is to provide accessibility information for anyone who needs it, such as disabled people, people with temporary health conditions, and families with prams, when visiting new places. We do this through our Access Guides, which give detailed information to potential visitors things like lighting levels, background music, hearing loops, walking distances, doorway measurements and accessible toilets.

Our 9-year-old son Sebby has an undiagnosed gross motor delay which means he is unable to walk unassisted, and his legs get tired quickly. Attractions present obstacles and barriers for him, and we must navigate the accessibility information to decide if it is suitable for him, and if it is, which piece of equipment to bring along with us. Sebby can use crutches for short distances or for longer distances his RaceRunner which is a bulky mobility aid a bit like a trike that he moves it with his feet instead of using pedals.

Our trips out with him, and our 8-year-old daughter Lottie, usually involve much more planning than most people’s, which is why we started using AccessAble, and why I wanted to work at AccessAble.

So why we use AccessAble? We find attraction websites generally don’t give us enough information. For example, when something says ‘wheelchair accessible’ does that mean the building is small enough for us to leave his RaceRunner in the car, so he can do the attraction/museum/shop just on his crutches, or is the size significant, and his legs will get too tired?

Equally saying it is not ‘wheelchair accessible’ is not as helpful as it may sound. Why is it not wheelchair accessible? For example, are there 3 stairs or 100? If 3, that is accessible to Sebby as we can assist him up the stairs, if 100, we will probably look somewhere else as I’m not sure I’m fit enough to get him to the top!

What happens when there’s no Detailed Access Guides?
There have been plenty of times I cannot find enough information on the attraction’s own website, and I’ve simply decided not to go – I don’t want to risk arriving and Sebby and Lottie being disappointed that it’s not accessible to him when they’ve been looking forward to visiting.

We recently visited a museum that didn’t have the Guides, therefore we didn’t have the information we needed. Our friend had been before and said it was accessible to him, so we risked it. The venue turned out to be small enough that he did it all on his sticks – which meant I lugged the RaceRunner all around the museum for no reason and had to keep finding places to leave it that didn’t block other visitor’s access to the exhibitions. It would have been nice to have an Access Guide which would have given us the information we needed to know we could have left his RaceRunner in the buggy park, and not got in other visitors’ way!

There are 14.6 million disabled people and 4.5 million carers across the UK, representing a significant customer base.

AccessAble’s recent UK-wide survey highlighted the stark contrast between the expectations of people with accessibility requirements and what is provided by the majority of public and private sector organisations. 98% of respondents said they searched for accessibility information before visiting somewhere for the first time. The real-life impact of not having access information available was also clear, 90% said they felt nervous or anxious visiting somewhere new – ‘arrival anxiety’ and 76% said they had not visited somewhere due to a lack of accessibility information.

Not having detailed information available may mean people do not attempt to access your attraction, or that due to a lack of information they are presented with a barrier on the day which cannot be removed there and then but could have been with some advanced notice.

This results in missed potential revenue, latest UK Government statistics suggest the ‘Purple Pound’ is worth £249 billion per year.

Working with thousands of disabled people and carers, AccessAble have developed a website and App, which is free for users. On the website and App are AccessAble’s Detailed Access Guides. Each guide is created and updated through an in-person assessment by a trained AccessAble surveyor, using unique software technology that ensures consistency of approach. All AccessAble’s data is factual, it is not a review or someone’s opinion. It reflects a pan disability perspective and is quality assured using ISO 9001 accredited processes.

A partnership between AccessAble and your attraction would deliver an accessibility programme, enabling a positive and consistent service to disabled people and carers. We have created a programme that looks at an end-to-end service from arrival at the car park through to purchasing tickets, visiting your attraction, and purchasing food at the café.

We also provide you with guidance of how you can make improvements to your accessibility, and attract even more visitors, often small cost changes such as adding mixed seating, or adjustments to the toilets.

Want to get in touch? I’d love to speak with you about how AccessAble can help your venue be as inclusive as possible and attract people to your attraction. Please do get in touch for a chat with any questions on how we can work together.

Jo Brett
[email protected]

All blogs reflect the views of their author and are not a reflection of BIAZA's positions.