Direct Access
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How Access Audits inform effective Evacuation Plans for Care Homes
Throughout history, buildings have generally been constructed to accommodate the needs of people without disabilities while ignoring those who do have them. As low as building standards can and have often been, however, the idea that care homes might not be truly accessible to residents is a worrying one for
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The Crucial Role of Sensory Accessibility in Environmental Design
Sensory accessibility is a crucial facet which we advocate to be embedded into every element of our built environment. It ensures that all individuals, regardless of their condition, can fully participate in their environment, whether that’s at school, college, the workplace, or in leisure settings. Yet within our particular line of
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Direct Access celebrates World Engineering Day 2025
World Engineering Day 2025 is about celebrating the contributions of engineers in shaping a sustainable future. This year’s theme, “Shaping Our Sustainable Future Through Engineering,” highlights the essential role that engineering plays in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) At Direct Access, our team of dedicated access
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Building a Better Future: The Importance of Accessible Housing for All
Ever since the pandemic occurred half a decade ago, the way we use our homes has shifted significantly. That is to say, in addition to being our nest, the global shift in attitude towards working from home has transformed our personal sanctuaries into workplaces. For disabled people across the country, this
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Driving Inclusion – How Greater Manchester’s Bus Network is Leading the Way in Accessible Transport
As of 6 January 2025, Greater Manchester has fully returned its bus services to public control, representing a major change in the region’s transport strategy and the first time in 40 years that a major transit system in England will operate in such a way. And with this change, increased
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How Accessible Technology investment is transforming the lives of disabled people
Accessible technology is a growing trend among businesses that are helping to change the lives of disabled people for the better. Whether adapting their premises with an evolved understanding of individual access requirements, to the adoption of inclusive policies, to greater diversity levels among the workforce, perhaps the most influential
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Barclays Bank backfire: Why Businesses should commission authentic Mystery Shoppers with Disabilities
Barclays Bank is currently facing scrutiny for its recent advertisements promoting paid “mystery shoppers” to feign blindness in order to identify accessibility issues at their walk-in branches. Shoppers were invited to tell staff members that their eyesight was “becoming increasingly blurry and/or spotty and the situation is not going to
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Unlocking Inclusive Design: Mastering the Key Principles of Accessibility
Offering accessibility as a service has been a cornerstone of our work for nearly two decades. Our philosophy is straightforward: we help organisations—whether public or private—move away from exclusive design practices and become more inclusive for people with disabilities. But the real challenge lies in recognising that accessibility is not
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Decades of Delay – Why North Yorkshire’s Accessible Taxi Debate Demands Real Solutions
Opinion: Decades of Delay – Why North Yorkshire’s Accessible Taxi Debate Demands Real SolutionsNorth Yorkshire’s proposed changes to taxi licensing rules have sparked a heated debate. The council aims to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) to comply with equality legislation, but the plan has drawn sharp criticism from
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Why the inevitability of disability means we should demand more from built environments
As a team of disabled people, Direct Access is of the view that urban infrastructure throughout history has favored the convenience of a wholly inaccurate and idealistic idea of what a society “should be”. Put simply, most human settlements are largely discriminatory toward people with disabilities, favoring the needs of
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How accessible tourism invigorates community engagement and boosts business
Irrespective of the financial and social benefits the travel and tourism industry can provide to businesses who facilitate these experiences, the ability to travel and enjoy products, services, and environments is a fundamental right for every disabled person. As such, it is the responsibility of these same businesses and attraction
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Disabled Peoples Organisations Sign Open Letter To PM Calling For Accessible Transport
This month, Stephen Brookes, Transport Policy Adviser at Disability Rights UK, took part in a vital collaboration with various Disabled Peoples Organisations, sending a letter to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Transport. This joint effort, which expressed critiques of the UK’s public transport systems, emphasised the importance
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How to facilitate inclusive Electric Vehicle Charging Points
With the end of new petrol, diesel, and hybrid vehicle sales set for 2035, the importance of accessibility in the transition to electric vehicles cannot be overstated. The forecast of 2.7 million disabled drivers and passengers in the UK highlights the need for inclusive solutions in our transportation systems. Electric
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The Accidental Accessibility of Luxury Residential Developments
In the luxury residential sector, developers often focus on creating spaces that exude elegance and exclusivity. However, many of the high-end features marketed to appeal to the desire for convenience—such as seamless flooring transitions, wide corridors, and automated systems—are, in fact, cornerstones of accessible design. While accessibility isn’t always the
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Approved Document M updated to include Changing Places and Sanitary Provisions
Approved Document M Volume 2: Buildings other than Dwellings, is one of the foundational documents in England for architectural accessibility and inclusion within built environments. So much so that it is one of the main documents our team of access auditors refer to when out on the job delivering our
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Why Accessibility Needs to Be Part of Your Branding Strategy
Let’s talk about something that often gets overlooked when it comes to branding: accessibility. Sure, we all know it’s important to have an inclusive brand, but how many of us really think about making sure our brand names, product categories, and even the way we organise our stores are accessible
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Back to school: How to ensure access and inclusion for education environments
As students return to school across the UK, it is vital to ensure that our educational settings are accessible and inclusive. By paying attention to this, schools can support quality learning experiences and ensure all aspects of education are equally available to students of all abilities. It is no secret
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How your organisation could benefit from training staff in disability awareness
Providing disability awareness training for staff is as vital to any successful public-facing business as its management or marketing teams, yet for some reason, whether from ignorance or laziness, very few organisations will put in the required effort to reap the rewards that come from training staff in how to
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The right to play: creating accessible playgrounds for all children
When we consider the thought of what accessibility in the built environment looks like, it would be fair to say that inclusive children’s play areas do not normally come to mind first. Typically, accessibility in the mind of the average person is thought about in contexts of more menial and
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Direct Access providing Calm Corner at Nantwich Food Festival 2024
Direct Access providing Calm Corner at Nantwich Food Festival 2024 The organisers of Nantwich Food Festival have confirmed that Direct Access will be attending the latest edition of the popular food festival this August and September. Our consultancy is proud to be providing a quiet space, which we have dubbed
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