| Advice to businesses and service providers on the | | | | Auditor, care should be taken to ensure that they fully |
| subject of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) | | | | comprehend and put into practice Reasonable |
| The Disability Discrimination Act part III concerning | | | | Adjustment’ As recommended by both the |
| providers of goods, services or facilities came into | | | | DDA and the DRC (Disability Rights Commission) It is |
| effect on October 1 2004. The act aims to end the | | | | not a case of simply employing the services of an |
| discrimination that many disabled people face. There | | | | Access Auditor or Access Consultant that may be a |
| are around 10 million disabled adults in this country and | | | | member of the N.R.A.C (National Register Of Access |
| the Disability Discrimination Act gives them important | | | | Consultants) Many Access Consultants simply work to |
| rights of access to everyday services and | | | | the requirements of the Building Regulations Part M or |
| employment opportunities that others take for granted. | | | | British Standards 8300 and have not comprehended or |
| If your organisation is not accessible to disabled people, | | | | understood Reasonable Adjustment’ Simply |
| you could be missing out on a lot of potential | | | | following these stringent regulations without considering |
| customers. Disabled customers have a combined | | | | Reasonable Adjustment’ could cost your |
| spending power of over £80 billion, as well as facing | | | | business a great deal of unnecessary money! |
| the possibility of having to defend yourself or company | | | | Access All Areas is an Access Audit service offers a |
| in court for Disability Discrimination. So making your | | | | unique high quality cost effective approach to |
| services more accessible to all disabled people should | | | | compliance of the Disability Discrimination Act. Their |
| be a priority to your business. | | | | high level of understanding of disability needs is greatly |
| To be able to best meet the many requirements of | | | | enhanced by the presence of a qualified access |
| the DDA you first need to know in what areas your | | | | auditor that is himself a wheelchair user. Access All |
| business is currently non-compliant. This is best | | | | Areas fully understands and places Reasonable |
| achieved by the means of an Access Audit that will | | | | Adjustment’ at the forefront of every Access |
| examine all areas of disability including those with | | | | Audit report and gives great consideration to the size |
| Visual impairments, Hearing impairments, Physical | | | | of your business as well as your current available |
| disabilities including disabled and ambient disabled as | | | | finances. |
| well as learning difficulties. Many businesses have | | | | Access All areas are based in Essex and offers |
| spent a great deal of money on alterations to their | | | | national coverage. Access All Areas can be |
| buildings or services in their own attempt to comply to | | | | contacted on 01255-242777. For more information see |
| the DDA, only to find that money had been spent in | | | | |
| areas that would be deemed Unreasonable | | | | So in answer to the question Should Businesses Be |
| Adjustment’ by a competent Access Auditor, | | | | Afraid Of The DDA? The answer is NO the DDA |
| or in many cases costly alterations had been made | | | | should be embraced but businesses and service |
| that did not comply to the many requirements of the | | | | providers should be afraid of choosing the wrong |
| DDA. | | | | Access Auditor/Consultant! |
| When employing the services of a DDA Access | | | | |