VisitWindsor, in partnership with AccessAble, the UK’s leading provider of detailed disabled access information, is producing destination Access Guides for Windsor and Eton. 

Featuring over 50 local businesses and tourist attractions, the Access Guides will help local residents and visitors with access requirements to plan their journeys to and around both towns. 

Image credit: windsor.gov.uk

The guides help make it easier for disabled people and carers to access services and facilities and have a good experience while they are visiting a business or destination.

AccessAble’s surveying team has started collecting information, figures, and photographs, with the guides covering everything from parking facilities and hearing loops, to walking distances and accessible toilets. They will consider mobility, sensory, learning difficulty and mental health requirements, and while the main focus is assisting disabled people and carers, Access Guides are also relevant for older people and those with anxiety.

Image credit: IG @jptavsilva

Councillor Samantha Rayner, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for business, corporate and residents’ services, culture and heritage and Windsor, said:

“AccessAble is a website and App which will enable disabled people and carers to plan their journeys and visit to our fantastic Royal Borough - we look forward to welcoming them to enjoy Windsor and Eton. The local businesses and attractions already have accessibility, and AccessAble’s information will allow those using it to have confidence to come and have a brilliant time.”

David Livermore, Director of Business Development at AccessAble, said:

“AccessAble is excited to be working with VisitWindsor on this trail blazing inclusivity initiative. The Access Guides for Windsor and Eton will be the first to consider town centre access needs of visitors to this leading tourism destination, as well as residents. We hope it encourages other destinations to follow suit.”

Additionally, AccessAble will provide Disability Essentials online training, which is designed to equip 250 people to engage with disabled people confidently and using appropriate skills. It aims to reach local businesses that do not currently provide their own in-house training. Interested businesses are invited to contact Visitor Services Manager Julia White at [email protected].

The free Access Guides are due to launch in autumn 2022 and will be available on the Visit Windsor website (www.windsor.gov.uk) at www.AccessAble.co.uk and on the AccessAble App. 

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Note for Editors:

For more information about the project, please contact Emily Edgar, Partnerships Manager at AccessAble on 01438 842710 or email [email protected]

VisitWindsor is the industry led Destination Management Partnership (DMP) for the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. It brings a fresh approach and shared vision to develop the visitor economy sustainably and deliver expenditure growth across the wider area. For more Windsor information visit www.windsor.gov.uk

AccessAble is the UK’s leading provider of detailed disabled access information, and surveys 10,000s of venues across the UK and Ireland, including shops, pubs, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, railway stations and hotels, to create a more inclusive society. For more information visit www.AccessAble.co.uk

• There are over 14 million disabled people and 4.5 million carers in the UK according to the Government’s 2019/20 Family Resource Survey. The Department of Work and Pensions estimates the influential spending power of disabled people to be more than £274 billion per year.

• AccessAble’s ‘Accessibility and You’ survey in 2018, highlighted the stark contrast between the expectations of people with accessibility requirements and what is provided by the majority of public and private sector organisations. 99% of respondents said it was important to know about accessibility before visiting a new place and 98% searched for accessibility information in advance.