Direct Access – How Feasible is That?

What were the issues?

A high street store that was located in a preservation area and that was inaccessible to wheelchair users because of steps down to the front entrance, had fitted a bell and a sign for disabled customers to use which would facilitate staff coming to serve them at the front of the store.  A disabled customer did not feel that this was the appropriate solution and wanted the shop to provide direct access.  The customer sought advice from the local council’s Access Officer.

Our solution:

Virosafe was approached to undertake an Access Survey and to determine if the solution that had been provided was appropriate and to identify if any other options were available.

The outcome …

The findings of the survey indicated that there were no viable options to facilitate direct access to the shop for wheelchair users.  If a ramp were to be fitted, the acceptable tolerance level would mean that the ramp would have to be longer than the shop itself.  An alternative solution may have been to fit a platform lift but this wasn’t viable either as the cost would have been prohibitive and the aesthetics at the front of the store would not have fit in with the local environment.   The customer accepted our findings and thanked the shop and the Access Officer for investigating her concerns in full.