Released: 26 April 2006
Local authorities and public bodies receive a local access portal as part of a service launched today by the Nationwide Access Register.
The proposal, created exclusively for local authorities, councils and boroughs by directenquiries.com, the Nationwide Access Register, will: - Provide councils with a local web based portal, on their own site, where the public can obtain information about the access and facilities provided throughout the local area. This can range from staff assistance and parking information to details of disabled access and baby changing facilities.
- Build the councils reputation as one that makes the concept of inclusion a reality for every citizen, whilst developing a model for barrier-free towns and cities across the UK.
- Empower local disabled people and visitors by providing the information they need to access goods and services.
Provide practical information and cost effective support to the small business community in a way that is mutually beneficial for both the council, businesses and disabled people.
Provide reports, enabling councils to map the barriers to access in their area and plan for long term street by street improvements.
The new service has been developed as part of directenquiries.com’s ongoing campaign to help businesses and public bodies meet their legal obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act Part III, and also to help them improve business and public services.The Nationwide Access Register was created to provide information on access for disabled people in 2002. Any company or public body, large or small that improves its access is not only opening up to the £80 billion spending power of disabled people but are also opening its doors to the parents of over 716,000 babies born in the UK every year. The Register currently receives over a million hits every month from people searching for businesses they can use and was recently described on BBC Radio 2 as being “right at the very tip of the public service iceberg.”
The Disability Rights Commission has backed directenquiries.com and their chairman, Bert Massie has said: “The DRC is delighted that a service such as directenquiries.com exists as it helps to give disabled people more choice and at the same time assists businesses both large and small to meet part of their legal obligations. Just as importantly, it helps service providers to attract more business from the 10 million disabled adults that spend £80billion per year in the UK.”
(ends) Notes to Editors
Directenquiries.com, was set up as the Nationwide Disabled Access Register in 2002 in partnership with RADAR (Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation) and The Employers' Forum on Disability. During the past 12 months the information available has grown to include access for parents with pushchairs as well as the general public. This allowed directenquiries.com to rebrand as The Nationwide Access Register in January 2006.
Directenquiries.com is the only UK directory specifically designed for companies to showcase their disabled access and other facilities. On average, directenquiries.com receives over 1.3 million hits each month from people looking for businesses, organisations and services with the disabled access they require. Registration is only £35 per year, per location, for which companies receive the following:
- Nationwide registration on directenquiries.com detailing company name, address and other contact details, including links to their website, should they have one
- Access to the Action Plan
- A “More Information” section, equivalent to five pages of A4, updateable on a daily basis. This allows businesses to include information on forthcoming additions or changes to their disabled access as well as useful information about their business in general
- Feedback facility to provide customer comments and opinions
For users, directenquires.com provides a full directory service for UK companies detailing the access and facilities available at those registered with directenquiries.com. The register currently includes disabled access information on leading high street names such as Boots, LloydsTSB, Argos, Gap, John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Costa Coffee, Pizza Express, PC World and Waterstone’s as well as thousands of small and independent businesses. The disabled access information encompasses everything from parking, entrances, lifts, toilets, counter heights, wheelchair and pushchair access to staff assistance and auxilliary aids such as Braille, large print and induction loops.
For further information, images and interviews please contact us on 01344 360101 or e-mail press@directenquiries.com
www.directenquiries.com