Access Audit - Making Sure Your Business is Accessible to Everyone

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) has some significant implications for businesses. You will need to assess your business premises and ensure they are accessible to everyone no matter what their physical abilities. An access audit can help you ensure you are reaching out to all of your potential customers.

DDA

The DDA was introduced in 1995. This act sought to redress key discriminations that the disabled faced in everyday life. This included poor access to businesses that could prevent them from carrying out daily tasks or getting to work easily.

• Under the DDA is it no unlawful for businesses to overlook the needs of disabled people.

• All businesses will need to consider mobility access when they are designing and refurbishing premises.

• This will ensure that all potential staff and customers can access buildings and premises more easily.

• An access audit can help businesses to meet their obligations under the DDA guidelines.

• This is very important as you could be prosecuted or fined for failing to meet the terms as set out in the DDA legislation.

Basic Requirements

An access audit can help you to make sure your business premises are accessible to people with sensory and physical mobility impairments.

• An access audit can identify what key adjustments may need to be made to your building to ensure it meets the current provisions as set out in the DDA.

• This could include the removal of obstacles that could obstruct people with physical mobility or sensory impairments (such as high steps, furniture, poor surfaces etc.).

• An access audit will review all aspects of the business premises including parking, entrances, layout, ramps, stairs, receptions, corridors, waiting rooms, offices, desks, seating, signage, lighting, fire exits and more.

• An access audit report will provide recommendations that can solve accessibility issues and also provide estimated costs.

• This can help you to understand how you can improve access for your customers and also how much these adjustments may cost you.

• Recommendations will be listed in order of importance from essential work (that must be carried out) through to minor adjustments (that can be carried out as part of future refurbishment work).