Tag: access audits
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Access Granted or Access Denied?
There is a very big difference wheelchair accessible and wheelchair welcome. People with disabilities are often more disabled by societal aspects like inaccessibility and ableism than we are by our own conditions.
In 2026, navigating the world as a wheelchair user continues to feel like a constant struggle, despite the fact that there are approximately 80 million of us globally. And what’s even more frustrating is that all of the barriers we face are entirely avoidable/preventable.
People may not want to hear it, but inaccessibility is just another form of segregation, and we cannot continue to sit and watch idly as 80 million people (approximately 1% of the global population) are still completely unable to access so many things. From shops, to medical facilities, to restaurants, holidays and leisure activities, wheelchair users are continuing to face unnecessary barriers everywhere. It needs to stop.
Are there any other access barriers you can think of that we may not have included here?
Web Accessibility
When websites aren’t designed with screen readers, color contrast, keyboard navigation or font size & style in mind, millions for users, including those of us who are blind, we are excluded from accessing vital information.
• Resource: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
• Learn More: Accessibility features such as alt text for images, proper heading structures, and accessible forms can make all the difference. Capitalizing the first letter of every word after a # allows our screen readers the ability to read the hashtag #MakingADifference instead of #makingadifference.Physical Accessibility
When we can’t access your building, you create a barrier for us. Buildings without ramps, automatic doors, tactile paving, or proper signage prevent people with disabilities from accessing public spaces. Physical barriers can prevent participation in social, professional, or personal activities.
• Resource: Rick Hansen Foundation. Standards for Accessible Design
• Learn More: Simple design changes like adding ramps, elevators, or accessible restrooms can foster inclusion.Accessible Recruitment Processes
When your recruitment process isn’t accessible, you create a barrier for us. When job applications and interviews aren’t accessible, companies lose out on valuable talent. Recruitment should accommodate everyone, including candidates living with disabilities, by offering alternatives like online interviews, accessible application forms, and inclusive onboarding processes. One way does not work for everyone, being welcoming and open to working with individuals to find solutions leads to productivity.
• Resource: Job Accommodation Network (JAN) – Recruitment and HiringInclusive Company Culture
When your company culture isn’t accessible, you create a barrier for us. It’s not just about getting people through the door; it’s about creating a work environment where everyone can succeed. This includes providing assistive technologies, offering flexible work hours, and fostering a culture of inclusivity. This is not an expensive process. In fact there are Grants available to make spaces more inclusive and accessible.
• Resource: Disability:IN – Inclusive Culture GuideAccessible Content
Content, whether it’s a video, a document, or social media, needs to be accessible to everyone. Captioned videos, transcriptions for audio content, and using accessible fonts and color contrasts are key to reaching a broader audience.
• Resource: W3C Accessibility ResourcesTogether, we can break through barriers. Accessibility is about equity and inclusion. By making conscious efforts to improve accessibility in all areas, we create barrier free spaces.
Let’s challenge the status quo and make a commitment to creating a world where everyone can fully participate. Being mindful we will all be 80 years old one day and everyone of us will need some accommodation or assistance. Lets all age knowing life will be easier for us when we need the accessibility for ourself or loved ones.
This is the View from Where I Sit!
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International Wheelchair Day
International Wheelchair Day reminds us that mobility isn’t one-size-fits-all — and that wheels deserve far more appreciation than they get. For many people, a wheelchair isn’t a symbol of limitation but freedom, independence, and the ability to move through the world on their own terms (and occasionally overtake slow walkers without meaning to).The day celebrates wheelchair users worldwide while recognising the innovation and advocacy that continue to improve accessibility. It’s about real visibility — everyday disabled lives, not inspirational clichés.
Wheelchairs also have a fascinating history. Here are ten facts you might not know:
- The first recorded wheelchair dates to the 1500s and was built for a Spanish king — accessibility started when royalty demanded convenience.
- Many modern chairs use aerospace-grade metals like aluminium or titanium. Yes, some wheelchairs are basically engineering show-offs.
- Wheelchair sports helped drive better everyday chair design through demands for performance and durability.
- Chairs are customised down to millimetres because fit directly affects health and comfort.
- Manual wheelchair use can burn energy similar to light cycling — wheeling absolutely counts as cardio.
- Power chairs can cost as much as a small car yet rarely include cup holders, which feels like a missed opportunity.
- Many users personalise their chairs with colours and accessories, turning mobility aids into self-expression.
- Front wheels, called casters, mysteriously detect every bump in existence.
- Ramps and curb cuts benefit everyone, from parents with prams to travellers with luggage.
- Mobility isn’t fixed — many users switch aids depending on fatigue, pain, or environment.
International Wheelchair Day ultimately celebrates autonomy and the reality that mobility looks different for everyone. A wheelchair doesn’t restrict life; it helps people live it fully — ideally on smoother pavements everywhere.
Happy Wheeling!
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Access consultancy services under the Equality Act
Access consultancy services under the Equality Act 2010 are essential for organizations to ensure they are not unlawfully discriminating against people with disabilities. These services include:
Access Audits: Assessing a building or environment against best-practice standards to benchmark its accessibility to disabled people.
Access Strategies: Developing a plan to improve accessibility and meet legal obligations under the Equality Act.
Access Training: Providing training to help organizations understand their legal duties and implement necessary adjustments.
Access Appraisals: Evaluating the accessibility of a building or service to identify barriers and recommend reasonable adjustments.These services are crucial for organizations to demonstrate compliance with the Equality Act and to create inclusive environments that benefit all users, including disabled people.
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Access Audits and Access Appraisals
Access audits and appraisals are both essential processes in ensuring the accessibility of environments and services. However, they serve different purposes and are conducted in different contexts.
Access Audits: These are typically conducted for existing buildings or environments to identify and improve accessibility. They are not a checklist but a detailed appraisal of the accessibility of an environment, its facilities, and any services delivered from it. Access audits are carried out by specialists such as architects, occupational therapists, access consultants, and people with disabilities.
Access Appraisals: These are usually part of the design process for new buildings or environments. They are more detailed and focus on the design and planning stages, ensuring that the principles of inclusive design are embedded within the project from the outset. Access appraisals are tailored to the unique context and requirements of the client, providing a detailed analysis of access improvements that can be fully integrated into a project.In summary, access audits are focused on existing environments to improve accessibility, while access appraisals are part of the design process for new environments to ensure inclusive design principles are met. Both processes are crucial for creating environments that are welcoming and accessible to all users.
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What are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines?
Ever since I’ve embarked on my journey to marketing myself as an Access Consultant, I’ve had an increasing interest in legislation surrounding Access Consultancy. I believe my BA Degree in History and Politics has sparked this interest.
Before then, I had never heard of Access Consultancy.
Are WCAG guidelines law?
Whilst the WCAG standards themselves do not function as law, they represent the internationally recognised standard for web content accessibility, and you will meet the legal requirements for accessibility by meeting the WCAG standard.Who is required to comply with WCAG?
Ensuring your website is accessible is covered by the Equality Act 2010 in the UK, which protects all individuals from unfair treatment and promotes a fair and more equal society.There are equivalent laws in other countries, which encompass web accessibility law and legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) seeks to ensure equal access to digital products and services throughout Europe and becomes law in all EU member states in June 2025.
The Public Sector Bodies (Website and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations (PSBAR 2018) apply to the UK public sector specifically and require public sector organisations to meet WCAG 2.2 guidelines at AA level of conformance, which from October 2024 will be monitored by the Government Digital Service (GDS).
What happens if your website is not accessible?
Not ignoring the threat of legal action, it’s very important to consider the barriers you might be creating for people if you are not ensuring your web content is accessible.There are an estimated 16 million disabled people in the UK, and in 2019 the ‘Click-Away Pound’, which measures the volume of people who abandon a retail website because of the barriers they found, grew to £17.1 billion.
Good accessibility practices benefit everyone, not just disabled people. Consider a person using captions when watching a video on a noisy train, or a worker with a sprained wrist using speech-to-text to write an email. Many of us use accessibility features every day.
The free guide to the Business Case for Accessibility will help you win hearts and minds inside and outside your organisation.
To find out more about WCAG and digital accessibility join their mailing list or take a look at their free digital accessibility resources. If you’re ready to create meaningful change and achieve significant results, speak to their experts to learn how they can help you to achieve your accessibility goals. -
Using Braille as an Accessibility Tool
Did you know that braille can be used as an accessibility tool? I used to think that braille was only used to help the visually impaired.
World Braille Day: Raising Awareness for an Important Communication Tool
Since 2019, World Braille Day has been celebrated to create awareness of the importance of Braille; an access and communication tool that has played a key role in the realization of human rights for blind and partially sighted people.
Its roots trace back to the 19th century, when in 1829, its blind inventor; Louis Braille created a tactile alphabet in order to be able to read and write, and eventually gain access to education, the news of this increasingly important tool receiving its own international day of recognition could not have arrived at a more relevant moment, as in its third year of celebration (2021). World Braille Day was reinvented by the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.
Braille is the system of raised dots used for reading and writing by people who are blind or severely visually impaired. It is read with the fingertips, although with practice, people with sight can read it with their eyes. Letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and numerous other symbols can be written with Braille. Although not technically its own language, Braille is a form of code and can be learned by just about anyone.
On World Braille Day 2022, Direct Access encouraged businesses to facilitate accessible formats as a means of communication as it is the right thing to do for customers and potentially valuable employees who might also be disabled people. Since our post-COVID world has forced much of society to utilise digital media and formats to facilitate communication, shopping, entertainment, and business; digital accessibility is now necessary to ensure the digital inclusion of all people. Braille is essential in the context of education, freedom of expression and opinion, as well as social inclusion, as reflected in article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Using the latest Index Embossers, Direct Access can produce Braille in A4 and A3 formats ranging from healthcare or financial letters to legal documents and company brochures. We also provide state-of-the-art tactile map boards that incorporate a multitude of formats including braille, BSL sign language video, and audio descriptions. They are bound according to preference and checked by our proof-readers. This is usually helpful for tactile learners.
For more information regarding their access and communication services feel free to contact them.
Tactile Braille Map Boards – Direct Access (directaccessgp.com)
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Accessibility Tools
Manningham House has introduced powerful Accessibility Tools to ensure an inclusive experience for everyone!
Colour ModesGrayscale for calm viewing.
High Contrast to make things pop.
Negative Contrast for cool clarity.
Enhanced ReadabilityLight Background for ease on the eyes.
Links Underline for clear navigation.
Readable Font for smooth reading.
And the best part?If you ever need to go back to default, just hit Reset!
Celebrate our launch with us and explore a website that adapts to YOUR needs. Let’s create a more accessible web together!
Navigate and send us feedback!I am impressed with Manningham House. Accessibility Tools help to enhance Access Consultancy!
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