Unique online access guide launched

A unique guide, designed to empower thousands of disabled residents to get out and about, has been launched thanks to sponsorship from Tandridge District Council.

The DisabledGo - Tandridge website, launched by Richard Stilgoe at the Orpheus Centre for performing arts, will open up the area to residents and visitors.

DisabledGo and Tandridge District Council have worked with hundreds of shops, pubs, restaurants, theatres and other public venues so DisabledGo - Tandridge can provide access details for a huge number of goods and service providers. This information can make a huge difference for people with hearing, vision or mobility related access concerns. The guide may also be useful for older people and those with pushchairs.

By logging on to www.DisabledGo.info, people can check, whether a pub is accessible to a wheelchair user, a cinema can offer a hearing loop, a hotel offers adapted rooms and a restaurant offers menus in large print or Braille.

According to government figures there are 11 million disabled people in the UK, with an annual spending power of £80 billion –potentially this means there are 13,000 residents with disabilities in Tandridge. This guide will help local businesses to reach this group of customers.

Each business visited will receive free disability awareness materials showing how they could offer a better service to disabled customers.

Chairman of the Tandridge Access Group, which has supported the project, David Borer, said: “Never knowing whether a building will be accessible or whether staff will have a helpful attitude makes you think twice before going out. DisabledGo ends that uncertainty by providing detailed access information and enabling people to judge for themselves whether a shop, restaurant or theatre is accessible for their own requirements.”

The DisabledGo - Tandridge guide is available on www.DisabledGo.info, or the Council’s website www.tandridge.gov.uk.

Not everyone has access to a computer, so with the help of a grant from the Tandridge Local Committee, the Tandridge Access Group has produced a printed version, covering about 300 of the services listed.

The Orpheus Centre is an inclusive performing arts centre founded by Richard Stilgoe, for young disabled people, generally with physical and/or sensory impairments. For more information visit www.orpheus.org.uk, call 01883 744664 or e-mail enquiries@orpheus.org.uk.