Access Audits and what to do with them
Commissioning an Access Audit is just the start. It’s what you do with it next that really counts says Ian Eggleton, Director of Access Consultancy at
Evans Jones.
To date we have completed more than 7000 Access Audits of all kinds of different properties but the truth is, for every client who contacts me to talk through the required works or even to ask me to design and manage them there are at least ten who I never hear from again.
This leads me to assume that there are hundreds of Access Audits sat on dusty shelves somewhere which are being ignored. Simply having an Access Audit does not provide any protection under the Equality Act 2010 Acting upon it is what counts).
What is the Equality Act and how does this relate to the DDA?
The Equality Act 2010 replaced the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
but continues the requirements of the DDA in much the same way.
The DDA came into force in 1996 where it became illegal to discrimnate against a disabled person for reasons related to his or her disability.
Provisions were brought in gradually, but since 2004 all service providers and employers have been required to make reasonable adjustments to policies, procedures and physical features to prevent discrimination.
What is an Access Audit?
An Access Audit (also known as a DDA audit, Disability Discrimination Act Audit or Disabled Access Audit) is an assessment of a building, an environment or a service against best-practice standards to benchmark its accessibility to disabled people.
Our Access Audits then assess what is reasonable for you to do, as is required by the Equality Act 2010 (which supersedes the Disability Discrimination Act 1995). Our Access Audits set out clear recommendations with priority ratings and costs, to enable you to plan and budget for necessary adjustive works.
Top tips for best use of Access Audits
Top Tips for best use of Access Audit
Read it!
You really need to read the report cover to cover to gain a full impression of the issues you face and to put each recommendation into context, rather than treating each item of work in isolation.
Clarify
If you don’t understand any issues raised, pick up the phone and ask the consultant to explain. Any reputable consultant should be willing to do so.
Get a Plan
The Access Audit should set out the barriers and recommend ways for removing them. It should also give you some idea of cost and prioritisation.
However, as consultants are rarely aware of your business aims, resources and plans it is not generally possible for us to set exact timeframes. Thus, you need to take the recommendations and work out a sensible program for their implementation. A term you will come across is an Access Action Plan - this should set out what you intend to do and when and you should budget accordingly.
Get advice
If you really don’t have the time or expertise to write a plan or implement the works get someone to do it for you.
We are Surveyors and Planning Consultants, so are in a good position to advise on planning consent, listed buildings, building regulations and how to go about procuring the works and managing them - but not all consultants offer this service.
Make sure your consultant isa member of the RICS or RIBA.
Stick to the plan
When you have a plan do your best to stay with it. Every business will have to react to changing circumstances and I see no reason why you should not amend your plan to suit but make sure you spread the load of any unforeseen event across all parts of your business, rather than simply stopping your access action plan because it seems an easy target.
If you do make changes record the reasoning behind them and be prepared to justify them. Be aware you may be asked to defend your actions (or inactions) in a court if an action is brought against you so make sure the changes are justified and record why they were made.
Don’t forget the human aspect
Our audits identify the human aspects of your service such as staff attitude and disability knowledge. In my experience, every Equality Act or DDA case I have been involved with, which has gone to Court or ADR, has included an element of poor customer service, leading to a disabled person taking their complaint further than they otherwise would have, regardless of the physical barrier experienced.
Just like any other customer, people with disabilities should be treated reasonably. Building Managers are often property people who focus on the building and so this is an area which is often neglected.
Maintain what you have
Finally, make sure you maintain the facilities you have and keep training up to date, otherwise you may be wasting your money. I have seen the positive effect of well-designed adjustive works completely negated as a result.
FREE Access Consultation
How accessible are your facilities and grounds?
As a special offer Evans Jones will provide 30 minutes of free advice via phone with a Disabled Access Consultant.
They can provide an overview of the regulations, how they apply to you and your options going forward.
Quote code: CON30