Methodology

The information provided by DisabledGo in the Detailed Access Guides is designed to provide the broadest range of fine-grain access information for a wide range of disabled people. It is the most in-depth disabled access information guide ever. The information is designed to empower disabled people to make their own informed decisions as to the usability of the venue based on their own particular access requirements.

You may find venues which are totally unsuitable for your disability but they will have relevance for other people's impairments. Additionally, our research has shown that sometimes it is as important to know what is not accessible to your own individual circumstances as to know what is. That way, journeys are not wasted and evenings are not ruined.

Although DisabledGo's Detailed Access Guides convey a lot of pertinent information, they are not Access Audits. The purpose of an Access Audit is to carry out a physical assessment of a building and service and make recommendations. DisabledGo does not make recommendations. Instead, DisabledGo's Researchers record a wide range of detailed access information - "we say it as we see it" - so that disabled people are in control by having independent, reliable information from which they can decide whether they wish to go to that venue.

In addition, DisabledGo Researchers distribute free disability awareness materials written in partnership with Mencap, RNID, RNIB, MIND and the British Council of Disabled People. Contact details are provided for local disability groups, national training bodies and organisations offering legal advice.

BS8300:2001 does not form the basis by which DisabledGo symbols are allocated or form the basis for Researcher assessment criteria. Some aspects are referenced in deciding on acceptable criteria. We use only aspects of these criteria as, if we were to base our symbols on these technical standards rigidly, many venues would not be in the guide. As a result, Disabled people would then lose the ability to assess whether a venue is suitable according to their own particular circumstances. Indeed, based upon instructions from DisabledGo-Steering groups of local disabled people across the UK, our DisabledGo Researchers capture information and detail that is additional to technical standards so that disabled people, their families, carers and friends can make genuinely informed decisions.

We conducted an initial 2 year consultation with disabled people and organisations across the country to find out what disabled people wanted to know when they were deciding whether or not to go to a particular venue.

We then drew up a research template which has been refined over the last 5 years by DisabledGo-Steering groups that are set up in every area in which we work. That way local disabled people are in control. The template and our research processes, therefore, are designed by disabled people for disabled people.

The research template that is used can collect over 400 individual pieces of information, per venue, relating to access. Every venue is visited by a trained Researcher who completes the template, takes relevant measurements and photographs and talks to a representative of the service face to face.

DisabledGo does not allow venues to "self confess" their state of access because:

• The vast majority of people not trained in disability access can miss, overlook or have a psychological gap between the reality of the access provision and what they think exists. ("I didn't realise there were 2 steps there, is that all right for your wheelchair?")
• We will not compromise the integrity of our service by relying on third parties for information in which they have a vested interest.
• The majority of venues do not have the expertise or the time to go into the detail that many disabled people need to have to make an effective judgment about the suitability of access.

For the first two years of DisabledGo's life, we conducted a thorough consultation with over 100 groups of and for disabled people. We listened and learned to find out exactly what disabled people wanted to know when deciding about accessing services.

From this unprecedented consultation, a patented research template has been developed and improved over a 6 year period. This development has directly developed from community consultation with disabled people and Researcher feedback.

Just as disabled people are consulted on the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) Codes of Practice, DisabledGo consult disabled people throughout the year. Over 50 Steering Group meetings and over 20 Consultation meetings are held every year. Disabled people are firmly in control here.

Consultation Meetings are established in each area that signs up to the DisabledGo service. The aim of the meetings is to listen to the local community and put disabled people in the driving seat for how they would like their local DisabledGo guide to be; what venues to cover, spread of venues including type and location. The purpose of the consultation is to ensure each local guide is as relevant and as useful as possible for the people we aim to serve. The guide reflects the priorities of local disabled people and the local authority.

Leading on from consultation, Steering Groups are set up for each area that we cover around the UK. Steering Groups are an integral part of the development of the local guides and the website as a whole. The groups are made up of a wide range of disabled people and individuals ensuring a pan disability perspective.

Steering Groups members are involved from the initial consultation process, through to the launch of the Guides and provide input and feedback for the Annual Renewals which take place once a year. The Annual Renewals ensure that the information on the site is kept as up to date as possible.

The meetings also give people the opportunity to comment on the kind of information we collect relating to the access requirements of a range of disabled people. The research templates are continually developed in response to these suggestions.

For example, the importance of information relating to the provision of British Sign Language Interpreters (BSL) and the provision of information relating to colour contrast was raised by Steering Group members. As a result of this feedback new questions were added to our research template.

Many of our council partners give us a list of required venues. Usually, these will be council offices providing services to the public or council run venues such as libraries or sports facilities. Such venues usually require Detailed Access Guides. In addition to these suggestions we consult with the local community who also provide a list of venues they would like to see researched. These often include both Detailed Access Guide venues and Key Access Review venues.

There are some venues that we always endeavour to research such as main post offices, airports, railway stations and other transport interchanges. We also aim to research all major tourist attractions and sports venues.

Apart from researching a mix of venue types we aim to get a good geographical spread of venues across the council area. This is achieved before we start research by adding venues which are required by disabled people regardless of the local area, often doctors or dentists, to the council and community lists. This ensures that we visit all parts of the area and so draw our researched venues from as wide a catchment area as possible.

The mix and accessibility of venues can depend on the character of the area to be covered and the wishes of our council partner and the local community. For example, a Victorian seaside town would differ to a modern New Town. We aim to research the most accessible venues we can find. However, it can sometimes be as important to know what is not accessible so that a trip is not wasted.

It is a guide which gives basic information including contact details, symbols are awarded based on the Researcher's visit and assessment.

A Detailed Access Guide gives more comprehensive information and looks at the customer journey when accessing the venue. Venues covered as Detailed Access Guides are those in which a person will spend more time; for example a hotel, a leisure centre, a job centre or are a vital part of a journey such as, for example, a main line train station.

The Detailed Access Guides and the Key Access Reviews are assigned symbols. Set standards are required in order for our Researchers to award symbols, as detailed in the symbols explanations and criteria section on the Help Page.

In addition to awarding symbols, the Detailed Access Guides provide further useful information which is not connected to a symbol. The additional information given relates to a particular access requirement and has been included as a result of consultation and involvement with and listening to a wide range of disabled people. So, for example:

• In an adapted toilet we will give information regarding the transfer side and whether taps are lever or twist type.
• We will give information about the availability of a vibrating pillow or flashing alarm in a hotel room.
• The restaurant section will detail if table service is available and the height between the table and the floor.
• If a cinema has Audio Description then the information is provided in the cinema section, equally if there is a poor view from the designated seating that information will also be available.

The criteria for the mobility symbols, Wheelchair User, Wheelchair User with Assistance, and Mobility Impaired Walker have been designed to account for the wide range of requirements within each group.

There may be situations where a Wheelchair User with Assistance symbol is applied to a venue, but a particular wheelchair user maybe able to access that venue without assistance. The symbol with assistance will have been awarded to take account of possibilities such as:

• There may be a manual door which one wheelchair user can open easily but another wheelchair user may find very difficult and so require assistance in the form of a companion holding the door open whilst they pass through.
• There may be a moderate slope which an electric wheelchair can easily overcome. However, another wheelchair user may find that they need assistance to overcome the ramp or slope.

In the above situations an individual user of the website may not agree with symbol allocation based on their own requirements.

The symbols act as a standard. This is balanced by providing a wealth of related and additional information which empowers disabled people to make direct, anonymous enquiries about particular venues and judge whether they are accessible for their individual access requirements. This way, disabled people are in control which is, after all, the point of DisabledGo's mission.

• Print this page
• Add to Favourites
• Email this page
• Terms & Conditions

DisabledGo Deutschland