The purpose of an Accessibility Audit is to establish how well a particular environment performs in terms of access and ease of use by a wide range of potential users, including people with disabilities and the visually impaired, and also to recommend improvements, where necessary.
Organisations have a legal duty not to discriminate against anyone who is covered by the nine protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010. However, what sometimes gets missed is the built environment and how it is managed. It can be difficult for organisations to know what is good practice in the provision of facilities for workers, visitors or other users – or, indeed, whether they have met their obligations to make reasonable adjustments. The Diversity Trust offers accessibility and inclusion auditing which can be useful and cost effective for organisations in new buildings and helpful (to avoid incurring further costs) for those in older buildings by offering recommendations for works that meet Government guidance and Building Regulations. Recommendations can also be made based on building plans. We can advise and support small to large scale organisations with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Audits. Audit recommendations cover the protected characteristics – for example:
- changing the facilities within multi-faith rooms
- separating food to prevent cross contamination
- creating spaces, which are suitable and safe for visually impaired people
- the adequacy of escape routes for all.
Accessibility auditing and consultancy also examines the management side of facilitating accessibility. This may include advice on equalities policies or surveys and inclusion relating to the built environment. We have previously contributed to the Steering Committee of the British Standards project to develop a new Publicly Available Specification for the Management of Diversity and Inclusion. We have also been called upon to help with the creation of Access Statements which describe an Organisation’s intentions re Diversity and Inclusion.
Quotes
“Provided some excellent sessions which have been well received by our staff and for which I am most grateful.”
“Demonstrated acute insight in comments on our draft questions and accompanying explanatory materials, advising amendments and ensuring that our approach was sound.”
“The audit was sterling.”
The Diversity Trust can supply an accessibility auditor who will assess how well a building performs in relation to access and ease of use by a wide range of potential users, including people with mobility, cognitive and sensory impairments but also to others from within the protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010. This includes considerations such as way-finding, signage and access, emergency escape routes and the provision of services within buildings such as shops, cafeterias and multi-faith rooms. All audits conclude with a report with photos illustrating specific recommendations for structure, future build and management.
We also carry out equality, diversity and inclusion audits, as well as accessibility audits, for a range of organisations including the construction industry, energy industry, tech industry, social housing and charity sector. Get in contact today if you would like to discuss with us how we can support you and your organisation with an accessibility and inclusion audit. Audits can include customer and staff satisfaction surveys, interviews and focus groups with stakeholders, as well as reviews of organisational policies and procedures.
For more information about our Accessibility and Inclusion Audits please contact us on: 07720 294 991 | email info@diversitytrust.org.uk | website