Visiting team creates local 'Access Guides'

Wednesday 10 April 2019

Surveyors from national organisation AccessAble are in Guernsey for the next couple of weeks to review local accessibility.

They will visit the island's facilities and venues before writing up 'Detailed Access Guides' for residents and tourists with disabilities.

The information will be available on the organisation's website and app, allowing everyone to check accessibility before planning their trip.

"We're visiting all kinds of places from restaurants and cafes through to some of the more tourist areas," said Surveyor for AccessAble Karen Byran. "We're also visiting a lot of the primary schools at the moment. Anywhere the public can access, that's where we can be found."

Pictured:  Information on a number of local venues is already available on the AccessAble website.

AccessAble has published a survey showing that 99% of disabled people in the UK want to know about accessibility before visiting a new place and 98% search for accessibility information in advance.

Surveying Coordinator Paul Bryan added: "We will say where the nearest bus stop is, we'll explain about car parking, access to the venue, whether there are any steps, whether there are any ramps, getting around the venue. If it's a restaurant we will even describe the heights of the tables and heights of counters."

The not-for-profit organisation is carrying out the review as part of its contract with the States of Guernsey.

Pictured: States Disability Officer Gill Evans.

"We've had a contract with this company for a number of years now to provide information," said States Disability Officer Gill Evans. "We know that we have an election coming up next year so we are trying to ensure that we have information on where the possible polling stations might be. That is where, for local people that information will come in handy. Also, if local people want to try a new restaurant or a new venue or go somewhere different they can then use that information to plan their trip."

AccessAble is also contracted by the States of Guernsey to offer online Disability Awareness training which is open to everyone in the island.

"It's really useful training to do for people that are in public-facing jobs but also for anyone just for a general awareness," Ms Evans continued. "It talks your through different background - it's based on a lot of Guernsey statistics from a survey done a few years ago. It gives you a few tips and hints about how you might help people with various disabilities."

Pictured top: Husband and wife team Paul and Karen Bryan from AccessAble.