We need help producing disability access guide

But then, experience suggests you need help too. Interested? Read on.

Based on census data plus some reasonable calculations, somewhere north of 20 per cent of customers who pass your shop will either have a disability or be with someone who does.

If you’re not visibly accessible – that’s 20 per cent walking on by.

Improving accessibility means potentially more customers at, or through, your door, and provides greater wellbeing to the community as a whole.

As a group, we think more can be done, and often just through knowledge.

Thus our ultimate goal is to produce a guide of accessible businesses and services, from GP surgeries to plumbing supplies to leisure centres. This will help you make improvements, and let disabled visitors know your business is open to them.

While the final goal is a printed booklet, all of the data will be on our website, and will be continually updated as time passes.

We will collect data for the guides through two different survey forms.

The first form will be simple, and come with a printed accessibility guide, covering important and legal areas, and ways to sort them at little or no cost.

Sending back the form gets you on our website, and into the booklet.

If you’re ‘on the web’ then you can do all of this online.

A better entry, with photos and more information, comes from a second form, either online or through the drop-off points, guiding you to provide more data, which will itself teach you more about access, and also allow you to invite us for a cuppa and further advice.

Can you spell FREE, ONLINE ADVERTISING?

So, what help from you is needed?

Support, either financial, or ‘in kind’ to print the survey forms, edit and print the guidance booklet, and to help distribute the forms and form part of our collection network.

It would also definitely help if you can spell SEO!

As mentioned earlier, everything is online, but we do understand that not everybody is internet savvy or have children to translate for them!

If you’re game, please email [email protected] or phone us on 075 1800 8091.

You can even write to us at Public Service Plaza, Civic Centre Way, Havant, PO9 2AX.

All assistance will be recognised, online or in print.