Access Panels
The Central Aberdeenshire Access Panel is one of four Panels each covering individually North, South, West, and Central Aberdeenshire. The Central Panel first met on 29th July 2003, and now has 11 members – the majority of whom have disabilities. Most members of the Panel are trained in Access Awareness, with further training planned. Regular meetings are held once a month at the premises of Aberdeenshire Disability Action in Inverurie.
Aims
- To make as many premises as possible accessible to all people with a disability
- To assist companies and organisations in making their premises accessible, by helping them to understand what reasonable adjustments are required to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act.
The Panel has good communication with the local Planning Department and at
Panel meetings looks at Planning Applications and comments on improvements for
access. Even though building regulations are met, this does not necessarily
mean that the building is completely accessible. We like to meet people and
discuss the problems, as people not affected by disability don't always
understand the wide variety of problems there can be.
We want companies to contact us and discuss access problems.
This could also be to their advantage, as the spending power of disabled
adults in the U.K. is currently estimated to be £80 billion.
There are lots of shops, public buildings and other premises that are not
fully accessible, but accessibility issues can be improved upon by a variety
of methods. For further information, the four Access Panels can be contacted
through Aberdeenshire Disability Action on 01467 629909.