The Access Interest Group brings disabled people together to improve access for disabled people by addressing barriers created by both the physical and attitudinal environment.
Aims of the Service:
The Access Interest Group exists to enable disabled people to work together to promote access issues within Darlington.
We aim to involve disabled people to:
- Highlight good practice around access issues and actively campaign on Disability Issues.
- Raise access issues and concerns with planners and providers.
- Promote and provide advice on anti-discrimination legislation to disabled people, carers, services and public bodies.
- Encourage disabled people to take up their rights under the Equality Act 2010, supporting disabled people to overcome discrimination.
- Work with organisations from the planning stage through to delivery to ensure their services are accessible.
What do we do?
The project continues to work with departments within Darlington Borough Council to:
- Prioritise the provision of dropped kerbs.
- Maintain good practice in disability equality.
- Progress towards making all of their buildings accessible.
- To keep the pavements free from obstructions including A-boards and goods.
The project also:
- Works with organisations from the planning stage through to delivery to ensure their services are accessible.
- Regularly advises individuals and organisations on their disability duty under the Equality Act and disability best practice.
- Supports individual disabled people to overcome discrimination due to negative attitudes of service providers and not just physical obstructions.
- Lobbies on relevant disability issues.
Group Meetings
The Group holds themed meetings which can be on a wide range of issues. Recent subjects covered include:
- Access to public transport.
- Access to services provided by the NHS.
- Access to the rail network.
- Access to the Town Centre.
How to get involved:
Anybody can support the work of the Access Interest Group. You can get involved by attending meetings organised throughout the year or by contacting the project to discuss other ways of volunteering your time or feeding in your views.
For more information email Gordon.pybus@darlingtondisability.org
Further information: