To help ensure that disabled people can access your service and to meet some of the requirements of The Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

What is the Disability Discrimination Act 1995?

A definition of the act has been given as existing:

“to make it unlawful to discriminate against disabled persons in connection with employment, the provision of goods, facilities and services or the disposal or management of premises; to make provision about the employment of disabled persons”
(Taken from "Disability Discrimination, Law and Practice, 3rd Edition")

Part I of the Act: Addresses the problems of defining the meanings of “disability” and “disabled person”.

Part II of the Act: Deals with discrimination in employment.

Part III of the Act: Deals with discrimination in non-employment areas such as; goods, facilities and services, as well as discrimination in the disposal or management of premises.

Audit Purpose and Scope

The primary purpose for having an access audit undertaken is to obtain a report that may provide a basis for a planned and prioritised rolling programme of improvement works and also any possible policy changes that can be put into practice to enhance disabled access into and through a building. The access audit may also propose the development of a long-term strategy.

Since December 1996 it has been unlawful to discriminate against disabled people by:

- Refusing to provide or, deliberately not providing a service that is normally offered   to other people.

- Offering a lower standard of service.

- Offering less favourable terms.

From October 1999 providers of goods, facilities and services should already have taken reasonable steps to:

- Change practices, policies or procedures, which make it impossible or   unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use a service.

- Provide auxiliary aids or services to enable disabled people to use a service.

- Overcome physical barriers by providing a service by a reasonable alternative   method.

From October 2004 providers of goods, facilities and services now have to take reasonable steps to:

- Remove, alter or provide reasonable means of avoiding physical features that   make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use a service.

Audit Profile

LAD conducts all audits from a "Social Model" perspective - using the latest British Standard (BS8300) "The Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people" Code of Practice as our main reference source. We strongly recommend, when carrying out any improvement works, that this is used as a bench-mark.

The following is by no means an exhaustive list - and our service can be tailored to attend to any individual needs.

A typical Access Audit report may cover any or all of these areas:

- External Approach and Car Parking
- The Main Entrance
- Wayfinding
- The Reception Area
- The Reception Counter & Seating
- Offices
- Common rooms
- Interview / meeting rooms
- Toilets and Toilet Layout
- Accessible WC Facilities
- Horizontal / Vertical Circulation
- Refreshment Areas
- Changing / Shower and Fitness areas etc
- Telephony
- Means of Escape