Charity advice to help open up facilities to disabled

Businesses, including pubs, could increase their customer base significantly if they make their pubs accessible to the disabled, says Access Equality.

The joint venture between disability charity Scope and Allied Surveyors, launched earlier this month, aims to help organisations explore how they can make their businesses accessible to disabled people.

The charity says it plans to introduce a kitemark for premises, similar to the star rating for hotels, to show they are working towards a design that will be accessible to all.

Under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act, which became law in October last year, all service providers have to make "reasonable adjustments" to meet the needs of disabled people. These may include improving toilet facilities for wheelchair users or training staff to deal with disabled customers.

Tony Manwaring, chief executive of Scope, said businesses were failing to target the 10 million disabled people with an estimated £80bn per annum to spend. "How can you ignore a business opportunity worth so much? A lot of access is not about cost but about thought."

Robert Bryant Pearson, chief executive of Allied Surveyors, said: "Many business people struggle to know what they can do to make their premises or services accessible to disabled people. They are worried that it will be very expensive to make changes, or even ask for advice about what they can do. You may be able to make immediate reasonable adjustments with attitude or service changes."

Also at the same launch Will Alsop, a leading British architect, accused his profession of failing to take into account the needs of disabled people when designing buildings.

Andrew Walker from the United Kingdom Institute of Inclusive Design said there was a problem raising awareness of the issues and that design must be inclusive to all.

Pictured at the launch: back row from left, Robert Pearson, Will Alsop, and Tony Manwaring with Andrew Walker in front.​