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A dark blue graphic which reads "July Disability Pride Month" in white text. The rainbow of colours representing pride cover the edges of the graphic. Several small circles surrounding the text are also coloured a combination of red, orange, green, and blue.
News

Embracing disabled identity: Direct Access and Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month is an annual awareness day celebrated every July, championing the creativity, resilience, and achievements of people with disabilities.  The origins of Disability Pride as a celebration go as far back as the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act back in 1990, which the date traditionally commemorates.

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Steven Mifsud holding his MBE medal on the grounds of Windsor Castle on an overcast morning.
News

Steven Mifsud interviewed for the 20th anniversary of Direct Access

Celebrating 20 years as Director of Direct Access, Marketing Executive and Accessible Media Consultant Michael Miller interviewed our Group CEO Steven Mifsud MBE about the company’s history which now spans a generation, and what the future holds for the award-winning accessibility consultancy. Hi Steven! Firstly, congratulations on Direct Access finally

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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.
News

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

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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.
News

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

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Senior mother with shopping bags laughing and talking to her daughter while pushing her in a wheelchair in a shopping centre.
News

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

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A photograph of a Tactile Model of an Eagle with a photograph of a bald eagle put next to it for comparison. Text to the left of the model reads "Accessible Interpretation of Wildlife".
News

Tactile Objects and Models are the Future of Accessibility

Tactile Objects and Models are the Future of Accessibility Most people with disabilities from personal lived experience understand what segregation and exclusion feels like. But ask the average disabled person what accessibility means to them, you are pretty much guaranteed to get a different answer every time.  To a wheelchair

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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.
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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

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A photograph of two young male and caucasian teenage wheelchair users in dark blue and white sportswear sit on the corner of an indoor basketball court. A bench with a team captain/coach, a middle aged woman, is sat at a table behind them observing the match.
News

Direct Access’ Nathan Leese interviewed on International Wheelchair Day

Direct Access’ Nathan Leese interviewed on International Wheelchair Day International Wheelchair Day, observed annually on March 1st, is a global celebration of the profound impact wheelchairs have on the lives of millions around the world. To celebrate the occasion, we sat down to interview wheelchair team member Nathan Leese at Direct

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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.
News

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

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WC and shower sign in the forest. WC for disabled. Beach resort. Sea and beach in the background.
News

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,

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A public toilet exterior in Shibuya Ward Tokyo. Three green doors with different symbols representing genders and disability are imprinted on each. in front of the restroom, which is a small, rectangular, white building are a variety of thin trees and plants.
News

The public restrooms that set the world standard for accessibility

Depending on where you live, the accessibility, frequency, and sanitary quality of local public bathrooms wildly vary. In the United States for example, it speaks to a specific lack of both care and understanding, that local authorities do not invest in accessible and clean public bathrooms, where not only are

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A modern living room space with artificial plants decorating a space which includes a coffee table and red armchairs.
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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

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A portrait photo of a smiling middle aged aged Caucasian man wearing a pair of glasses. He is dressed in a grey neck jumper and grey suit jacket. Behind him, the sun reflects on the back of his head through some green trees.
News

Joe Prochilo joins Direct Access in Massachusetts

WORCESTER, MA, January 8, 2024: Joseph E. Prochilo, MBA, has joined Massachusetts based accessibility and inclusion consultancy Direct Access Consultancy LLC. A certified DOBE™ – Disability Operated Business Enterprise, Direct Access employs a team of 17 people with disabilities working to improve access to buildings and facilities. Mr. Prochilo will

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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.
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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

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