Issue - meetings

The Council and its partners have been working with DisabledGo, a national charity, to produce an online access guide covering 500 venues across the Borough to help inform and empower people with disabilities.

It was reported that Disabled Go provided detailed online access guides to a wide range of venues accessible by members of the public such as cinemas, hotels, hospitals, colleges, sports grounds, restaurants, council offices, parks, historic land marks, and tourist attractions. The information provided by Disabled Go aimed to empower disabled people to make their own informed decisions as to the usability of a venue based on their own particular access requirements.

Disabled Go provided targeted information regarding facilities for disabled people. It was a web based initiative where trained surveyors visited sites to assess their accessibility in relation to physical access, lighting, background noise etc.

Accessibility could include, for example, reducing the height of rises in relation to stiles. Problems could occur if stiles were removed altogether due to cattle in countryside areas. Gates should be accessible where possible and stiles should be used as a last resort. There was not usually enough space either side of stiles for suitable alternatives.