Access Surveys

An Access Audit is a means of examining an existing building, or proposals for a new building, to measure the accessibility and usability of the building for disabled people. The Audit’s findings can then be used to implement a structured programme of improvements. This could be through routine maintenance, building alteration/extensions or refurbishment.

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) came into force in 1996 and made it illegal to discriminate against a disabled person for reasons related to his or her disability. This covered the fields of employment, service provision, transport and education. The DDA required employers, service providers and education providers to make reasonable adjustments to avoid discrimination.

The Equality Act 2010 brought together all anti-discrimination legislation into one Act and covers disability, race, gender, religious, sex and age discrimination. It supersedes the DDA, and while the overall requirements remain much the same, the Equality Act has different requirements depending on whether you are an employer, service provider or an educational establishment.

The Access Audit is to be used to enable the client to undertake its duties under Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This relates to reasonable adjustments that may be required to the physical features of the buildings, so that any provided services are as accessible as reasonably possible to all members of the general public.

Access Audits are seen as the first step in ensuring reasonable adjustments are made to policies, practices, procedures or premises which may create a barrier to people with disabilities. This may involve consideration of staff, occupants, users, volunteers, visitors and so on.

In commissioning an Access Audit, it is important to be clear what is to be assessed, what standards it is being assessed against, for what purpose, the timescale and the required outcome.