Since October 2004 the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has required all organisations offering a service to the public to remove physical barriers that impede access to buildings. If this is not reasonable they have to find another way of providing the service. If organisations fail to comply with this legislation they run the risk of facing legal action from users not being able to gain access to a building. The Daniel Connal Partnership has gained significant experience in matters of accessibility and design for people with disabilities. In the last seven years alone we have designed and managed over £5 million of alterations to improve access to properties and to the facilities within them. As chartered surveyors our core business is accessing and advising clients on the suitability of new and existing buildings. Through working in access consultancy, we recognise the wide range of disabilities that an individual might have. With lateral thinking and practicality in mind we provide workable and economic solutions to access problems. This experience gained through designing access solutions and auditing methods and our supplemental training enables us to provide an unparalleled service in:
- Adaptations of Properties for People with Disabilities; the practice manages programmes of and individual adaptations to give persons with disabilities greater independence in their homes.
- Access Audits; we undertake audits to establish what barriers a building possesses to its access and use by people with mobility and sensory impairments. We provide recommendations with reference to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and design solutions to specific access problems - see case study for audit on a leisure centre,
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- Access Monitoring; checking designs and proposals for their compliance with accessibility best practice - see case study on a plan audit for a new development,
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