It is a common misconception that disability means wheelchair user but this couldn’t be further from the truth. There is a wide and varied list of disabilities including sight impairment, deafness, mental illness amongst others, some of which are overlooked when designing inclusive environments. It is true that a large proportion of people with a disability are those who use wheelchairs but those with other less obvious disabilities must not be discriminated against.
There are other categories of people who must also be considered, those being the elderly and infirm, children and parents with babies. Accessing buildings with a pram or buggy can be just as difficult for a parent as it can be for a wheelchair user. One thing we all have in common is that we will all get old but this doesn’t mean we are disabled and therefore careful consideration must be given to how elderly people use a building or public space. We have experience in adapting properties and spaces to meet the requirements, with work including the conversion of bathrooms, installation of specialist equipment and improving both internal and external access.
Our Access Consultant will carry out a detailed Disability Access Audit of the property including the surrounding area if required, to evaluate all elements of the accessibility, services and facilities. The level of detail will be determined by you and agreed by both parties prior to the survey. Upon completion of the survey, a comprehensive report will be produced detailing any instances of non-compliance with the current regulations and the action required to remedy them. The report has a priority rating to allow you to budget and plan the remedial work and will also provide a cost estimate for each element of work required.
Two copies of the report will be issued if requested, as it is a requirement for a copy of the report to be retained at the property. You then have choice on how you wish to proceed from this stage. You can either take the report and carry out the work yourself or allow us to provide a complete service. The complete consultancy service includes discussions with you as to how you wish to proceed with the remedial work, after which we produce specifications and tender documents and then project manage the construction work on site through to practical completion. You therefore benefit from the knowledge and experience of our Access Consultant and ensure all works are compliant with the regulations, leaving you to concentrate on your business.
