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AccessAble Midlands is Go!

AccessAble has launched its brand-new website and App for the Midlands!

The launch event, hosted by Birmingham City Council, brought together disabled people, disability organisations and AccessAble’ partners to showcase the new App and website. They feature 1,000s of places across the region, all visited and assessed by AccessAble’ surveyors.

Speaking about the need for the service Disability Blogger, Lucy Wood said,

“The word ‘Day Trip’ has always made me anxious and when I go out it can feel like a military operation. It’s vital to do loads of research in advance; I don’t feel I can be spontaneous, when I have to trawl through websites to find accessibility information. For Disabled People, finding the practical stuff is vital – can I get in, can I use the toilet! Very few venues have this much detail online, this is why the AccessAble website and App is so exciting. Being able to get the level of detailed information that I need, knowing I can trust it, means I can get this information quickly and takes away the need to plan. It is a revolutionary step forward for disabled people in the UK, and I can’t wait to go on my next adventure! ”

Speaking about the launch, AccessAble’s Executive Director, Anna Nelson said,

‘AccessAble exists is to provide detailed information to venues throughout the UK, so that disabled people, carers and anyone who needs to know more about accessibility can find out if a place will be right for them. We are passionate about delivering our social mission and helping more of the c.20m people in the UK who have accessibility requirements. We believe our new website, App and name is key to achieving that.

We are fortunate to work with a fantastic range of committed partners and disability organisations across the Midlands. We hope they will inspire others to place accessibility at the heart of inclusive information provision.’

Speaking about the launch and their ambitions for the city, Graeme Betts, Interim Director of Adult Social Care, Birmingham City Council said,

‘The event was a fantastic opportunity to hear more about the difference that AccessAble’s Detailed Access Guides will make by empowering disabled people to be able to live their lives to the full, and access all their community has to offer. The enthusiasm in the room led to lots of positive, thought-provoking discussions, and it was clear that everyone involved in the event is committed to improving accessibility. AccessAble plays a crucial role in our ambition to make Birmingham the most accessible city in Britain ahead of the Commonwealth Games.’

The new website and App has been made possible thanks to funding from NHS Property Services, Andrew Flett, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility commented,

“Every week millions of patients, their carers and their families visit NHS properties managed and owned by NHS Property Services. It’s important to us that all visitors have the information they need to make their stay as stress-free as possible. This is particularly important to those members of the public with additional accessibility needs. Through our three-year partnership with AccessAble we’re increasing the number of NHS sites with online user guides and are delighted that we’ve been able to fund development of the new website and mobile App which will be a useful resource for all patients, staff and visitors to our buildings.”   

As part of the launch AccessAble are publishing an important survey that highlights the vital need for better accessibility information. The survey revealed that 99% of disabled people want to know about accessibility before visiting a new place and 98% search for accessibility information in advance.  

You can see the full results here https://www.accessable.co.uk/articles/new-survey-highlights-major-accessibility-gap-for-uk-s-20-million-disabled-people-and-carers

To check out the new service simply visit the website at www.AccessAble.co.uk  or download the AccessAble App from the Apple Store or Google Play Store. If you have any feedback you can contact AccessAble at [email protected],  message us on social media or give us a call on 01438 842710.

Notes

AccessAble – What We Do

AccessAble, originally called DisabledGo, is a national disability organisation. We are the UK's Accessibility Guide and we are here to take the chance out of going out.

We cover 10,000s of places and our Guides are available free at www.AccessAble.co.uk and on the AccessAble App.

AccessAble – Our History

AccessAble was set up in 2000 by Dr. Gregory Burke as a result of his own experiences as a wheelchair user and disabled walker. Gregory was frustrated to find that the best-case scenario when he looked for accessibility information was a few unhelpful words that only resulted in more uncertainty.

Working alongside over 100 different disability groups Gregory launched DisabledGo's first website in 2002. Since then the organisation has grown and developed, continually meeting and listening to its user community.

By 2018 DisabledGo was used by over 1.5 million people each year to plan a visit or trip out. Thousands of people continued to shape the service getting involved in DisabledGo's engagement events and social media channels.

In June 2018 we began to build our new website and IOS and Android Apps. These launched in October 2018, alongside the new AccessAble Brand.

The Survey 

845 people responded to the ‘Accessibility and You’ survey. This is one of the largest and most comprehensive accessibility surveys in recent years. The survey was carried out in the summer of 2018 and took on average 20 minutes to complete.

Midlands Partners

AccessAble’ Midlands partners include:

  • Birmingham City Council
  • East Staffordshire Borough Council
  • North Warwickshire Borough Council
  • Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
  • Stratford-on-Avon District Council
  • Warwick District Council
  • Warwickshire County Council
  • Worcester City
  • Chesterfield College
  • Coventry University
  • De Montfort University
  • Derby College
  • Halesowen College
  • Keele University
  • North Nottinghamshire College
  • Northampton College
  • Solihull College and University Centre
  • Staffordshire University
  • University College Birmingham
  • University of Birmingham
  • University of Derby
  • University of Leicester
  • University of Wolverhampton
  • University of Worcester
  • Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Greater Nottingham Clinical Commissioning Partnership
  • Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • NHS Mansfield And Ashfield CCG
  • NHS Newark & Sherwood CCG
  • NHS Nottingham City CCG
  • NHS Nottingham West CCG
  • NHS Rushcliffe CCG
  • Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
  • Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
  • Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Nottingham City Hospital
  • Queens Medical Centre
  • Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Birmingham City Hospital
  • Rowley Regis Hospital
  • Sandwell General Hospital
  • Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
  • Arena Birmingham
  • Aston Villa Football Club
  • Boots UK
  • East Midlands Airport
  • Genting Arena
  • intu Merry Hill
  • Leicester City Football Club
  • National Ice Centre and Motorpoint Arena
  • Next
  • Nottingham Racecourse
  • Nottingham Racecourse - Archive
  • Resorts World Birmingham
  • Stoke City Football Club
  • Warwick Racecourse
  • West Bromwich Albion Football Club
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club

Media Contact

Carrie-Ann Lightley, Marketing Manager

Mobile: 07756 744 635

Office: 01438 842710

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @CarriAccessAble

Digital Marketing Executive