Access
Contents
- Access All Areas
- Access Audit & Inclusive Environments
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Access Information
- e-quality
Access All Areas
Access is not just about ramps!
The Disability Discrimination Act (1995) provisions, with supplementary legislation and new Building regulations encourage organisations to make themselves more accessible to disabled people.
The way that disabled staff, customers and visitors can use your building is important.
A thorough, experienced, qualified access officer will be able to:
- Identify physical, sensory and intellectual barriers to access for disabled people in your proposed, existing or historic built, urban or green environment.
- Recommend changes, by interpreting legislation, Building and Planning Regulations, Listed Building guidance as well as British Standards and best practice guidelines authored by organisations of disabled people, and applying them to the premises or procedures of a particular organisation.
- Prioritise and cost those recommendations with you or for you.
- Liaise with architects, builders, surveyors and suppliers in ensuring your access is fantastic and offers Best Value through every stage of development, from a desk top audit of a planned development to accessibility through improved building management and maintainance procedures.
Access improvements are an investment that will benefit your organisation, employees and customers in the short and long term. Remember: One in five in the UK are disabled people, with over £80 billion of spending power (DWP, 2005) Good access benefits everyone - families with buggies and prams, older people, people with heavy luggage and people who do not use English as their first language.
Tip: Always use a qualified, registered, insured, experienced Access Officer.
Vision Sense Access Officer is a member of the National Register of Access Consultants.
Access Audit & Inclusive Environments
The Vision Sense Access Team has experience in most areas, from new build, to change of use, office buildings, retail outlets and public buildings, to University Campus, hospitals, manufacturing environments, historic and Listed visitor attractions, signage schemes and access to green spaces as well as the urban environment, highways and buildings.
We specialise in ensuring disabled people are safe, confident and empowered in using your environment equally. That includes an excellent approach to emergency egress, physical, sensory and intellectual access for all.
Architects, curators, developers and facilities managers come back to us time and time again.
Vision Sense delivers successful Heritage Lottery Fund or Arts Council Project bids around Audience Development, Access Plans and Policies for iconic public spaces, sensitively working with architects to combine access with design and conservation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I do an access audit myself?
- Some of your staff, with training should be able to regularly identify some barriers to access in your workplace or public building. You should also consult with a local user-led group of disabled people to identify more barriers to access. There are then three major pieces of legislation, over twenty standards and fourteen building regulations, as well as numerous Codes of Practice, planning consent regulations and areas of case law and fire regulations to apply to each area you have identified, and accurate dimensions and costing attached to the best option for your employees and customers or visitors and building! A good access auditor will consider the financial and operational circumstances of an organisation and recommend acceptable changes. An access auditor can then cost and prioritise the works required and provide information so that planning control, your landlord or builder can understand the changes needed. Using a professional will save you money and prevent you making expensive mistakes. Working with an independent access auditor and implementing their recommendations in line with your budget, can help you to demonstrate that you are making reasonable adjustments and taking steps towards complying with legislation. (And they are insured, for your piece of mind!)
- Is the Vision Sense Access Service expensive?
- Choosing Vision Sense, you will receive a value for money service, with a brief and a transparent, costed quotation before we start a project. You can choose a gold, silver or bronze package to suit your needs or a bespoke service for the life of a project. Our access officers will save you money by helping to make sure your plans are not going to be rejected for planning approval on access grounds for a new building and then have to be redrawn, if you take our advice. Building in future-proof access at the beginning of a project, means you should not have to make expensive adaptations when the building is open and can save hundreds of thousands of pounds later. In an existing building, an access officer will ensure you do not waste money on gadgets or kits that claim to make you DDA compliant! He or she will be able to discuss, "Reasonable adjustments with you" and help you to prioritise in line with your budgets - we do not want you to knock the place down and start again! Access officers know many issues are maintenance or operational ones - some adjustments may cost you nothing at all. It is expensive not to!
Accessible Information
Vision Sense have a specialist team who produce information in Braille, electronic or audio format on request. Choose our ten or seven day service to suit your needs, or our next working day delivery if you are in a hurry!
Braille can be produced in Grade I or II, UK or US Braille and interlined with text if you prefer. It is all hand checked, so no annoying computer generated errors for your clients and staff!
Our information team produce bespoke tactile maps and audio description guides for new audiences of blind and partially sighted people to equally access visitor attractions, heritage sites, museums and gallery collections.
We produce information for Universities, statutory authorities and our service includes advice and guidance from an experienced Braillist.
e - quality
Ensure your website and ICT provision is accesible to the widest audience, with Vision Sense e-quality. Our top ICT team take W3C and other standards and put them into place for you. Have sexy, accessible information!
