Accessibility
Guidance
![The interior of an empty movie theatre warmly lit by overhead lights. In the forefront of the photograph are empty seats all red in colour.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/pexels-pixabay-269140-1200x480.jpg)
How to make your theater inclusive and disability-friendly
The live event market is currently booming, making a huge resurgence within the wider entertainment industry. With the pandemic becoming something of a distant memory, the general public is becoming much more comfortable in crowded spaces again, with live performances and concerts generating billions of dollars a year. The joy of
Read More...![A range of green sensory items including communication cards, headphones and a multi-coloured fidget toy placed on top of a black t-shirt with text that reads Direct Access in white and green.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/369989518_698408568950435_3258434858085169734_n-521x480.jpg)
How providing tote bags with small objects can increase accessibility on your premises
Adopted widely from education and play settings to workspaces, sensory bags are an inclusive, inexpensive method of signifying to visitors that your premises actively consider accessibility and comfort. The tools and resources available within the bag can ease or lessen situations of sensory overload, as well as aid in the
Read More...![Two female children smile as a rollercoaster sends them flying down the track. One of them is posing for the camera holding her hands up high.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/shutterstock_1487350391-1200x480.jpg)
Developing Accessible and Inclusive Theme Parks
From improving the emotional well-being of disabled people to generating more wholly positive perceptions of accessibility in the public consciousness, creating accessible and sustainable leisure facilities not only creates positive social awareness of disability issues (particularly among non-disabled children) but also allows disabled people from all walks of life the
Read More...![Senior mother with shopping bags laughing and talking to her daughter while pushing her in a wheelchair in a shopping centre.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AdobeStock_285094045-1200x480.jpeg)
Designing inclusive retail stores for accessibility
Designing inclusive retail and shopping spaces for accessibility It is no secret that the rise of E-commerce, quickly accelerated by changes in people’s spending habits and the realities of our world economy, has resulted in physical retail spaces suffering losses in both consumer and business interest. However, while shopping for
Read More...![A young Caucasian man who is a wheelchair user eats on the terrace of a restaurant with a Caucasian male friend. The friend assists by cutting his food up with a knife and fork.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AdobeStock_561471138-1200x480.jpeg)
How cafés, pubs and restaurants can better serve disabled patrons
How can make coffee shops inclusive and accessible? One of our team’s favorite subjects for blogs, (like this one), is using our combined knowledge of accessibility to make recommendations to business owners about how they can become more inclusive to current and (potentially future) customers with disabilities. Whether that’s by
Read More...![An accessible parking bay with the international symbol of access (person in a wheelchair) painted on the tarmac in yellow.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/pexels-jakub-pabis-11074302-1200x480.jpg)
Why the parking lot is the first indicator of your site’s accessibility
Why the parking lot is the first indicator of your site’s accessibility As the point of entry for the majority of public facilities, the accessibility of a site’s parking lot has the capacity to shape the perception of an entire facility in the eyes of disabled visitors. In this blog,
Read More...![A photograph of the front cover of the Access Guide which Direct Access produced for Cannock Chase. The cover has a dark green colour scheme with a mixture of yellow and white text. It reads "Cannock Chase access guide. Welcome to the Access Guide for Cannock Chase". Underneath this text is the Cannock Chase logo. A photograph on the cover shows a young white woman with downs syndrome riding a bike with stabilisers joyfully. Next to her getting in close for a photo is a white male companion who is off his bike and holding it with one hand. He is also smiling happily. Behind them is a bike trail through some woods.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Access-Guide-Cover-1200x480.jpg)
The benefit to providing accessibility and sensory guides for site visitors
The benefit to providing accessibility and sensory guides for your site Whether you are a site owner providing an attraction to the public or are the custodian of a heritage site/museum, Accessibility and Sensory Guides are fast-becoming a standard of the overall visitor experience in public recreation, entertainment, and educational
Read More...![WC and shower sign in the forest. WC for disabled. Beach resort. Sea and beach in the background.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/shutterstock_1752015185_new.jpg)
The Direct Access Guide to Accessible Wayfinding
When we hear the phrase “wayfinding”, what most frequently comes to mind is the application and availability of signage in a particular environment, which is normally used to signify elements of a space that require visitor attention, or offer directional guidance in complex environments, such as shopping centers, hospitals, museums,
Read More...![A modern living room space with artificial plants decorating a space which includes a coffee table and red armchairs.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/pexels-rachel-claire-4846101-1200x480.jpg)
How inclusive and accessible design leads to future-proof housing developments
What is inclusive design? In construction, inclusive design is a sustainable, inclusive, and cost-effective design practice, yet is also massively underutilised. For firms that do use inclusive design when approaching new builds, it presents an opportunity for site owners to create built environments that are massively beneficial to every individual
Read More...![Part of a spacious office with a long aisle and row of desks with business supplies and green plants standing by walls and on workstations.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AdobeStock_568743494-1200x480.jpeg)
The health, environmental, and social benefits of Biophilic design
Biophilic design (from the Greek, ‘philia’ meaning ‘love of life’) is an environmental design choice that is being adopted by architects and decorators around the world for modern office spaces and desk-based work environments. Office spaces, though largely safe and unassuming compared to workplaces of past centuries still provide potential
Read More...![A black wheelchair user wearing a white vest and armband carries a basketball in the palm of his left hand and holds on to his wheelchair with his right. He is on a basketball court on a sunny day.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/shutterstock_2247087249-1200x480.jpg)
Why the Models of Disability matter when creating inclusive environments
As access consultants at Direct Access, we often get asked this question and when we do, we tend to give a rather dry and professional answer explaining legal requirements and building regulations. Whilst these legal boxes indeed need to be ticked, it is hardly an inspirational, encouraging, or motivating answer.
Read More...![A mixed group of work colleagues discuss work around an office table. One of them, a male wheelchair user, points to his female colleagues monitor to point something out.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/office-1200x480.png)
How business owners stand to benefit from accessibility and inclusion
When we think of the built environments that make up our society, whether that’s bus stations, libraries, hospitals, supermarkets, or hotels, thought is rarely ever given to the potential of these spaces were they to be rebuilt, readjusted, and made inclusive. Indeed, when we think of accessibility and inclusion in
Read More...![Hand of an unrecognizable person dragging a suitcase, wearing on the wrist a lanyard of sunflowers, symbol of people with invisible or hidden disabilities.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AdobeStock_576074074-scaled-1-1200x480.jpeg)
The difference between disability awareness and understanding
Much is often said about disability awareness, whether it’s businesses and organisations earnestly involving themselves in the various disability awareness days that happen each year, to huge corporations painting an image of inclusivity simply because they offer images of diversity in their branding – it is clear that in today’s
Read More...![A middle aged man, Andy Lomas, poses for a photo behind a large tactile map board at a product and service conference. In the background is a poster banner for Direct Access showing a young man in a wheelchair cheering on a hillside.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1000004018-1200x480.jpg)
The Importance of Accessible Wayfinding in Commercial Environments
In the past ten years or so wayfinding has undergone massive changes that has made getting around more accessible to all. With the ease of availability of services such as Google Maps, finding your way from A to B has never been easier. However, despite the ability to guide us
Read More...![A man with a cane walks along a pedestrian path during the day time.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Blind-Housing.jpg)
Etiquette for Interacting with a Visually Impaired Person
To preface, it is important that we first acknowledge that while there are generally recommended methods of communicating with blind people, they are ultimately individuals with their own experiences, and will therefore have preferences unique to them. This blog entry is based on preferred etiquette which tends to overlap among
Read More...![A smiling young woman with a tattoo sleeve on her living room sofa typing on a laptop with her feet held up on a wheelchair. Her brown and black dog watches her.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/AdobeStock_504147628-1200x480.jpeg)
How to cater to the increased demand for Accessible Media
With society’s increased reliance on digital spaces to carry out everyday tasks, ensuring the provision of Accessible Media is vital. From ordering food shopping to doing taxes to arranging medical appointments to streaming films and television, the digital realm has largely superseded the analogue methods of the past. This progression
Read More...![An Asian woman in a wheelchair enjoys a pint of beer with a friend in a pub.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/pexels-elevate-3009771-1200x480.jpg)
Universal Design: Creating Spaces for All
Universal design is the design philosophy that seeks to create products, spaces, and environments that are usable and accessible to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. It is a framework that acknowledges and celebrates human diversity by creating spaces that are inclusive and welcoming to everyone. At the heart
Read More...![A middle aged man, Steven Mifsud, holding an iPad for a portrait photo. In the background are numerous American flags on poles waving in the breeze.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/76959811_2561487663904474_4220672694015754240_n-1.jpg)
A short guide to ADA Transition Planning
The aim of an ADA Transition Plan is to identify and implement improvements to a public-facing site and help it achieve compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility standards. While many site owners think they might comply with ADA regulations by merely providing a wheelchair-accessible ramp, the reality is
Read More...![A young white man with short brown hair sits at a desk typing on his Mac computer. On his desk are numerous notepads and a cup of coffee.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/pexels-vlada-karpovich-4050470-1200x480.jpg)
Achieving Accessible Website Compliancy
Ensuring that your website is fully accessible to disabled people is becoming an increasingly vital element in the success of any institution with a public-facing platform. Whether you are a small charity owner, servant of a local government, or CEO of a large conglomerate business, chances are you also own
Read More...![A young female barista in a wheelchair with brown hair holds a jug underneath a coffee machine while pressing a button with her other hand.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/pexels-mart-production-7163020-scaled.jpg)
How can we make coffee shops accessible?
Modern coffee shops are ground zero for low-pressure social activity for people of all ages, creeds, and backgrounds. However, as the industry dominates in cities across the world, from small independents to the likes of Starbucks, each coffee shop must individually meet the demand for accessibility requirements that their disabled
Read More...![Direct Access transparent logo.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/White-Logo-Transparent-Background-1-1024x198.png)
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