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Post by gem on Feb 2, 2003 18:07:16 GMT -5
A new website has been launched which aims to end accessibility nightmares for disabled people.
DisabledGo.info is a new online directory providing access information to thousands of venues across the UK, including nightclubs, restaurants and pubs.
The website, which is supported by Marks & Spencer, currently covers venues in
Westminster, Croydon, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Brighton.
Information for new towns and cities will be added throughout the year.
Speaking at the launch, PhD student Gregory Burke said the website would help tackle the "overwhelming difficulties faced by people with impairments in accessing their communities."
The site uses a series of selectable icons to allow visitors to judge whether a particular venue will meet their access requirements.
Leading figures in the disability world have lent their support to the new site, including Professor Stephen Hawking.
Lord Morris of Manchester, the first Minister for Disabled People said: "The project will enable disabled people to be part of, instead of having to be apart from society."
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Post by freewheeler on Feb 2, 2003 19:25:57 GMT -5
that's a great idea !  better late than never. I wonder if they have a section where disabled people who have visited these venues can give a personal rating (e.g re:ease of use, attitude to use stuff like that). I think it'd be a good idea, coz two different venues with the same acessibility rating (say both are rated fully wheelchair acessible) can be a totally different experience depending on how well they're run. e.g: * attitude of staff to user, or, * is the wheelchair ramp always acessible ?(e.g are are there often cars or other obstacle allowed to park right next to it, so blocking acess, and rendering the ramp temporarily useless), or, *is the key to turn on the wheelchair lift kept in a place that it is easy to find? (or is it never in the same place twice, meaning that it often takes a good ten mitues to find it, meaning it often takes 20minutes for a wheelchair user to get from one level to another (and not being able to do so indendently, and with the minimum of fuss, rather than half the venue staff and other users to be invovled. grrrr!  ) Anyone else had similar experiences? Where the ramps, lifts, etc. are in place, but the day to day running of them, is virtually non-existent. Hmmmmm. I'm gonna check out that site, and maybe e-mail them with my idea. What do peple reckon? Think users' personal ratings would be handy? |
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Post by Fraggle on Feb 8, 2003 2:32:32 GMT -5
Does the site cover blind, deaf or people with learning disabilities?
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Post by PurplySparkleyJoey on Feb 10, 2003 18:54:10 GMT -5
Cass sweety .. i will have a look at the site, but i would have thought that it covers that.
Forinstnce they will prob say if there is a place for people who use hearing aids or if there are escorts about to help you out?
If they dont offer that .. i sugest you write to them and ask them to consider adding that to there list of how its asseccable??
Gorgie, i think your right about peoples attitudes .. but we have to educate people too ... other wise they will never learn!! Cant expect some one else to do the hard work for us .. sadly  
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Post by gem on Feb 11, 2003 16:35:12 GMT -5
they have large print signs and stuff about whether the staff have been made disability aware!!
gem x x x
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Post by freewheeler on Feb 12, 2003 15:15:03 GMT -5
 Jo, re:the part (of yr post above) to me.... Yeh, I do agree with you Jo......that the education and hard work has to be done by us (sadly 99% of able-bodied folk do not take it upon themselves to do such a thing). But......I'm not always sure how to go about it. And, I don't half get sick of repeating myself over and over. Same thing every day (e.g "PLEASE! When I ask for you to move over a bit, (to give me space to manouvre my w/chair), DON'T just move a millimetre, move at least a few inches! TA!"). How do other GLAD members "educate" able-bodied folk without going insane with all the repetition? Lastly, I'd like to be educated on disability awareness issues(of disabilities which I don't have, i.e other than M.E, w/chair user + mental health). There's plenty (the majority) of disabilties that have f.all to do with w/ch use, it's them that I'd like to know/be aware of. Maybe we could educate each other though posts by users with different dis.? BTW 1st. person to manage to replace the world's use of DISabled with a much better term wins a lifetimees worth of gratitude from me). Differently-abled was/is good, but too much of a mouthful to be taken on. Anyone got a better one? |
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