Articles in Fair4All

Articles in Accessibility

A bus driver is holding the wheelchair of a disabled person as it is cautiously lowered down a short ramp from a bus. A woman is also holding the wheelchair at the rear. The wheelchair user looks cautious. Image copyright Alamy

BuDS Calls For More Accessible Buses

Ben Clark

BuDS knows that bus services are still inaccessible for many disabled people, and we welcome the Government announcement of further grants to help bus operators make their vehicles more accessible. Our member, Fiona, spoke to the media about how buses disable her in her everyday life.

She told Greatest Hits Radio that the system currently isn’t working.

She said: “Getting on the bus is fairly straightforward, most of the buses now have a ramp that flips out from the floor.”

“Getting past the driver’s cab and into the wheelchair spot is not so easy in some cases because some of the buses are designed with a very narrow gap.”

“It usually means I can’t travel on my own, I have to have my partner with me to physically take my power chair out of power mode and push it manually through the gap because it’s just too narrow.”

You can read the full article, and the Government announcement, using the buttons below.

Fiona’s Interview
Government Announcement
A learning disabled child smiling into the camera and holding up her hands, which are brightly painted with several colours

Fair4All Education Transitions Surveys

Janneke
Blue logo with Fair4All Education written in yellow, and BuDS Send Transitions Service written in blue around the logo

We know that moving from primary to secondary school can be daunting for young people. We want to improve this educational transition for children and young people with SEND and analyse what is currently available to support them and their carers. To help us do this, we want to hear from you! 

There are multiple surveys available depending on your current situation – a school professional, a support agency/service professional, a parent/carer of a young person with SEND and a young person with SEND. 

Everyone who completes survey 1 has the chance to be put into a draw to win a £50 One4All gift card, accepted in over 120 local stores. Entering the prize draw is optional. Please note the draw for the gift card is only for the ‘Parent/Carer Experiences During the Transition to Year 7‘

These surveys are anonymous – you do not have to give your name or any information that could identify you. To learn more about how we use and protect your data, see below.   

Read More
A BuDS Access & Inclusion survey taking place at Chiltern Open Air Museum, Bucks. A group of disabled people are seen leaving the "Tin Church"

Fair4All Access & Inclusion Surveys

Ben Clark

A Fair4All Access & Inclusion Survey is a comprehensive, holistic, assessment of how accessible and inclusive a business, site or service is for all disabled people. It includes but goes beyond those aspects of accessibility normally covered in a BS or DDA/EA compliance access audit.

Fair4All Access & Inclusion surveys are a unique service offered by Buckinghamshire Disability Service (BuDS).

Read More

BuDS is not attending Chiltern Open Air Museum’s Christmas Event

Freya Clark

BuDS always strives to make events in Buckinghamshire accessible for disabled people. However, we have recently been hit with a wave of illness within our events team. After lots of careful consideration, our Trustees felt that attending this event would put too much strain on the health of our volunteers, and we are therefore very sadly announcing that we will not be attending this event.

If you have any questions or comments, please email info@buds.org.uk.

Volunteer at the COAM Christmas Weekend

Freya Clark

Please note volunteer applications have closed for this event.

Do you want to help support disabled people and get to attend an amazing event? BuDS is looking for event volunteers for the Chiltern Open Air Museum Christmas Weekend, on the 3rd and 4th December 2022.

The event will show how Christmas was celebrated in the past and give you the opportunity to see some of the Museum’s historic buildings traditionally decorated for Christmas. There will be an artisan Christmas market and the Museum’s shop will be full of handmade products.

We are excited to support this event to be more inclusive and accessible for all disabled people by providing an access information and support, and an emergency quiet space.

Volunteers will get free time to enjoy the event and will be able to enjoy the demonstrations, or just have some chill out time!

Strict Covid-safety protocols will be in place to keep everyone safe and every volunteer will be provided with a BuDS polo shirt and PPE face mask.

If you’d like to be part of the volunteer team for this amazing event, please fill in the expression of interest form, and we will be in touch! Disabled people are very welcome to volunteer, and we have a wide range of roles to suit everyone.

We are very welcoming, even if you can only commit to an hour during the weekend.

BuDS staff and volunteers wearing masks stand around the statue of Sir Ludwig Guttmann at Stoke Mandeville Stadium

BuDDy Tour to Assess National Paralympic Heritage Trust Phone App

Ben Clark

As part of the BuDS Fair4All Visitor project, a ‘BuDDy tour’ of six disabled people from BuDS visited the Paralympic Heritage Trust at Stoke Mandeville Stadium on 4 September 2022. The purpose of the visit was to assess and help develop a new phone app being developed by the Trust. The app guides visitors around the Stadium and its surroundings, giving information about the things to see and do.

All the tourists were volunteers or BuDS staff. We were not paid or commissioned by the Paralympic Heritage Trust, and our views and opinions are entirely independent.

Read More

BuDDy Tours of Waddesdon Manor & Chiltern Open Air Museum

Ben Clark

As a mark of respect for HM The Queen, BuDS has postponed our planned BuDDy Tours of Waddesdon Manor and the Chiltern Open Air Museum (COAM). The Tours will now take place on Saturday 24 September (Waddesdon Manor) and Sunday 25 September (COAM).

A BuDDy Tour is an escorted tour by a mixed group of disabled people to a visitor attraction, to assess how accessible and inclusive the place is for disabled visitors. If you’d like to be part of either or both Tours, please e-mail volunteering@buds.org.uk straight away. Admission is included, along with a meet and greet with the site managers. BuDS Representatives will accompany the tours and be on hand at all times.

The BuDDy Tours were organised to support the Visit Buckinghamshire Boost, Boost Accessibility project. The BuDDy Tours were delivered by BuDS volunteers, in partnership with Visit Buckinghamshire, Buckinghamshire Business First, and Buckinghamshire Council. The Visit Buckinghamshire Boost programme was funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.