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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.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/AdobeStock_861245080-1200x480.jpeg)
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.
Read More...![Steven Mifsud holding his MBE medal on the grounds of Windsor Castle on an overcast morning.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-02-at-15.19.36-1042x480.jpeg)
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
Read More...![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 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.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Joe-Prochilo-e1718197691571-1003x480.jpg)
Joe Prochilo re-appointed to the Architectural Access Board for Massachusetts
We are delighted to announce that one of our accessibility experts has been reappointed to the Architectural Access Board for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for another 3-year term. Joe Prochilo, who officially joined Direct Access last year, works with the local team to deliver accessibility audits for different municipalities and
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 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".](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WhatsApp-Image-2023-09-14-at-08.35.36-1200x480.jpeg)
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
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...![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.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG-20240301-WA0004-1-1200x480.jpg)
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
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...![A social media graphic coloured red at the top, white in the middle, and dark blue at the bottom with a red text box to the middle-left containing event information and a scannable QR code. At the top left is the New York Build Expo logo, and on the bottom right the Direct Access logo.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ASL-SOCIAL-MEDIA-GRAPHICS-1080x480.png)
Direct Access to provide first-ever ASL interpreters at New York Build Expo 2024
Direct Access to provide first-ever ASL interpreters at New York Build Expo 2024 The New York Build Expo will have American Sign Language interpreters available for the first time this year since the event began. New York’s leading construction and design show will take place at the Javits Center Feb
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 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.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/shutterstock_2404443785-1200x480.jpg)
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
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...![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.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/press_release_distribution_0490844_177782-675x480.jpg)
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
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 poster for the MMA Annual Meeting and Trade Show displaying a colourful cartoonish depiction of a city on top of a green gill. In front of the city on the hilltop, a mixed group of adults converse with each other. A large title reading "Turning Passion into Action" penetrates the top of the poster, which portrays a a clear blue sky with few clouds. Dates for the trade show are displayed at the bottom, which are January 19th and 20th 2024.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/mma-am-concepts-2023-final-high-res-01-1200x480.jpg)
Direct Access to exhibit at the MMA’s Trade Show in Boston this January
Direct Access are delighted to announce that our ADA accessibility consultancy will be exhibiting at the 45th annual MMA Meeting and Trade Show in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19th, 2024 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. Direct Access’ CEO Steven, and our newest accessibility consultant Joe, will attend the show on
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...![Direct Access transparent logo.](https://directaccessgp.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/White-Logo-Transparent-Background-1-1024x198.png)
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