Access Audit
At EMBED we are passionate about helping organisations to create environments where everyone feels included. This means any place or space used by staff, customers, visitors and communities from shopping centres and museums to hospitals and offices.
For any environment to be inclusive, it must be fully accessible to all who use it and it is essential that your facility, service or space can be easily accessed and used by people with a diverse range of abilities and requirements.
The EMBED Access Audit uses expert insight from disabled people and our experienced auditors, to help you to understand potential barriers faced by people with physical, cognitive and sensory impairments and conditions as they use and move around your premises or facility.
Some of the areas we will review include:
- Door design
- Car parks including ticket dispensers
- Access routes
- Public toilets and accessible WCs
- Information points and signage
- Lighting - shadows, glare, variations in light intensity, reflections, etc
- Lifts and stairs
We help you to define the scope of your Access Audit by consulting with key staff and stakeholders to ensure that we focus on improving access to the areas of your facility or service that have the greatest benefits to the widest number of people.
Read on to find out more about how our Access Audit can help you taking into account additional restrictions implemented post Covid-19 lockdown, or contact us to arrange an informal chat.
How we can help
Expert insight
We begin by observing how visitors, customers and staff interact with your environment. We map a journey considering physical, cognitive and sensory impairments and conditions to help you focus on and improve the practical usability of the location, operations, facilities and services within your organisation.
Practical solutions
Working as your constructive critical friend, we will identify opportunities for improvement suggesting low, medium and high cost interventions with the aim of improving access.
Ongoing support
At EMBED we focus on providing you with the ongoing support and information required to embed change and so we offer two follow-up reviews to check that you are on track.
Value for money
And finally, we think we offer great value for money as we use our passion for people to help you to deliver truly inclusive services.
The detail
What we include in an Access Audit
Our Access Audits are carried out by up to two experienced EMBED auditors and depending upon the size and scope of the audit we are typically on site for one to two days.
Legislation:
Our Access Audits are carried out with reference to existing legislation and research including but not limited to:
- Equality Act 2010
- BSI Standards 8300: 2018: Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment. Part 1 External Environment: Code of Practice
- BSI Standards 8300: 2018: Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment. Part 2 Buildings: Code of Practice
- Inclusive Mobility: a guide to best practice on access to pedestrian and transport infrastructure, Department of Transport 2005
- Designing for Accessibility, Centre for Accessible Environment 2012
Audit report
Our audit report will include:
- Highlighted areas / facilities that do not meet acceptable good practice guidelines
- Feedback from customers, visitors and employees
- Feedback from key staff and identification of potential barriers
- Feedback from user or access panels
- Priorities and suggested actions to meet current standards and legislations with an emphasis on low, medium and high cost intervention
- Supporting photographs of all areas that do not meet acceptable standards – where photographs are permitted
- Highlight potential training requirements
- Suggestions on action to take in moving towards systemic inclusion by introduction of processes including technology and best practice.
- Pragmatic recommended solutions and actions that consider both during and post COVID-19 lockdown
- Good practice for spotlighting and replicating across the organisation
Follow-up reviews
At EMBED we are always focused on ensuring we can support you where possible, and to equip you with the information required to embed the changes – and so the report is not the end. We will also schedule two follow up reviews to check in and see how you are doing.