Ian Watkins has recently joined the CAE as Access Advisor and is an NRAC Registered Access Auditor. He has been advising on building access for 25 years and now conducts access audits and access appraisals for the CAE. In his blog below he outlines what an access audit entails, why it’s the best thing you can do for your building (or space) its occupants and visitors, and how such an audit will benefit everyone, and therefore your business or organisation.
Sometimes it may be difficult for a disabled person to use a service because the service is being provided in a building or space that’s literally not easily accessible to them. It may also be difficult for an organisation to understand, or be aware of, what barriers exist for disabled customers or visitors. By barriers, we are talking about anything that can make using the service impossible or unreasonably difficult.
An access audit is simply a survey of the property (or space) to identify where there may be barriers to access for disabled people who are trying to access the service that is on offer. Examples may include poor lighting and reflections that make it difficult for people with visual impairments, and background noise levels and reverberation that make it hard for people with hearing impairments to hear information.
As well as more commonly understood barriers such as lack of wheelchair access, there may be less obvious barriers to access such as those that may affect neurodivergent people (people living with conditions including Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Dyslexia or Tourette’s Syndrome).
The access audit will include recommendations on how to overcome any barriers to access, where it’s reasonable to do that, by either suggesting reasonable physical changes to a building, or suggesting how things can be done differently to get around the barrier.
CAE Access Advisor Ian Watkins
Under the Equality Act (2010), if you provide a service to the public, or a section of the public, you have a duty to make what is called ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the way that you do things to ensure your customers aren’t discriminated against on the grounds of their disability. This is what is called an ‘anticipatory’ duty. In other words, you can’t wait until there is a problem before you do something to address accessibility, you must be prepared to make reasonable adjustments in advance.
What constitutes ‘reasonable adjustments’ for your business is what an access audit will identify for you.
Meeting access standards
There is no requirement for existing buildings to meet any technical access standards. If that were the case, we would have to demolish London and start all over again! However, best practice guidance on accessible design is available, and where it is reasonable to follow guidance (for example, if handrails are needed) it makes sense for your business to follow such guidance wherever possible.
The key question you should ask yourself is this: ‘Is the service my organisation provides really accessible to everyone?’. The physical building only becomes a problem if it stops people using the service that you are offering, but there are other factors to consider, which are not immediately building related, but are just as important none the less.
Barriers to access could include many non-building related aspects, including inconsiderate staff attitudes, the way that information is provided, if your website provides information on accessible routes to the building or if the staff are trained in equality issues and awareness.
Benefits of an access audit
Approximately 23% of working age people in the UK have a disability. That’s almost a quarter of the UK population. And if your service isn’t accessible to them, you could also lose their friends and family members.
If your restaurant, art gallery or park isn’t accessible to a disabled person, it’s unlikely that their friends and family will use your facility – even if the service or products are amazing – if a loved one can’t get through the door or navigate the building to enjoy the experience. Often, only minor adjustments are needed to make your service more inclusive.
To recap: The purpose of an access audit is not to provide a lengthy list of expensive adjustments that you are required to make. It is to give you recommendations for reasonable adjustments that you should consider, along with a priority to help you most effectively manage the resources that you have available.
The recommendations provided in a Centre for Accessible Environments access audit will be effective in making your service more accessible to a wider range of people. In making recommendations, the Auditor will make careful consideration of what type of service is being provided, who your customers and visitor are, existing building constraints, the likely cost of recommendations and the resources available.
CAE can provide guidance on what an organisation may require to improve accessibility in its building or space. Contact CAE on 0207 822 8232 to discuss an access audit or email
info@cae.org.uk.