Accessibility to buildings and facilities is being surveyed
GUERNSEY’S facilities and venues are being checked for accessibility in a two-week review.
Surveyors from AccessAble are in the island carrying out the work.
AccessAble, previously DisabledGo, was founded in 2000 and works across the British Isles to produce detailed access guides for people with disabilities.
The information is available as an online guide – found at www.accessable.co.uk – or through the AccessAble app, which is available from the App Store or Google Play.
‘Often people think disability means wheelchair users, but there are many other forms,’ survey co-ordinator Paul Bryan said.
‘For example, it’s important for some people to know how many steps there are or how high counters are or if there are narrow doorways.’
More than 600 different island locations are included in the guide, including restaurants, shops, leisure centres, parks, theatres, libraries, hotels, supermarkets and walk routes.
Mr Bryan said the island had a mix of accessible and less accessible facilities and venues, which was typical of many places.
‘Although we can recommend improvements, I am here to survey venues as they are and provide impartial information.’
Speaking about the need for the app, AccessAble’s Lucy Wood said the phrase ‘day trip’ has always made her anxious.
‘I have to do loads of research in advance, I don’t feel I can be spontaneous when I have to trawl through websites to find accessibility information.
‘For disabled people, finding the practical stuff is vital. Can I get in? Can I use the toilet? Very few venues have this much detail online, which is why the AccessAble app is so exciting.’
The AccessAble team is being supported by Gill Evans, the States’ disability officer, who said having the right information to be able to plan visits was important for everyone, especially those with limited mobility or certain requirements.
‘A lot of company or attraction websites do not have as much detailed information about access that someone might need,’ she said.
‘Guernsey is unique and beautiful and that can create some challenges, but we are very disability conscious and accessibility is much more on the agenda than it has been.’
The contract with AccessAble has been in place since 2011 as part of looking more closely at equality and inclusion.
‘People who use the website or app might not be physically in a wheelchair, it might be they have young children in a buggy, cannot deal with a lot of background noise or they might be elderly and although they would not consider themselves disabled it would be useful information to look at when planning a trip or outing,’ Mrs Evans said.
. AccessAble has published a survey which highlights the need for better accessibility information.
The survey showed that 99% of disabled people in the UK want to know about accessibility before visiting a new place and 98% search for accessibility information in advance.
The survey can be found at https://bit.ly/2D3MrKk.
