Disability Access Consultancy Services

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 introduced new laws and measures aimed at ending discrimination against disabled people. The Act gives disabled people new rights in the areas of:

• Employment
• Access to goods, facilities and services
• The management, buying or renting of land or property

The SM&MS Disability Access Audit report aims to assist “service providers” to meet the requirements that came into force in 2004.

What would the SM&MS Disability Access Audit cover?

Our disability access audit looks at all aspects of disabled access including:

• Building management
• Approaches, routes and street furniture
• Car parking
• External ramps
• External stairs
• Entrances
• Reception and lobby areas
• Corridors
• Doors
• Internal ramps
• Internal stairs
• Lifts
• Platform lifts and stair lifts
• Sanitary accommodation
• Facilities
• Signage and way finding
• Lighting and surfaces
• Acoustics, Means of escape

The legal obligations of the Act are clear, service providers should now be complying with the Act.

Another reason to comply is that disabled people now have a combined spending power of £45 billion. Therefore organisations seeing the Act as a business opportunity are sure to gain.