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).
What Is A Fair4All Access & Inclusion Survey?
A Fair4All Access & Inclusion Survey identifies the barriers which will prevent disabled people from using and enjoying a business, site, or service on an equal basis with non-disabled people. The survey starts from the perspective of the experience of disabled people as customers and users. The aim of the survey is to enable businesses, sites, and services to improve their successfulness, popularity, brand image, and reputation.
A Fair4All Access & Inclusion survey goes far beyond the limited scope of a standard “disability access audit” or “DDA/Equality Act compliance audit”. These types of audit typically capture the minimum requirements for a business, site, or service to be legally compliant. Unfortunately, legal compliance does not provide disabled people with a positive experience, especially as legal regulations do not make sufficient or any provision for many disabled people with frequently experienced impairments, such as autism or sight loss. The Fair4All Access & Inclusion survey covers the same issues and scope as a conventional disability access audit. However, it goes further to provide businesses, sites, and services with a much more practical, holistic report designed to boost their successfulness, popularity, brand image, and reputation while also ensuring legal and fair treatment for disabled people.
How Does A Fair4All Access & Inclusion Survey Work?
Every survey is tailored to the unique nature and needs of the individual business, site, or service. The typical procedure is as follows:
- Understanding: BuDS staff and/or volunteers with relevant experience and skills will spend time understanding your business, site or service. The aim is to understand what you do, how you operate, your values and goals, the importance of disabled people to your business, and how disabled people might experience your business, site, or service. This information helps us tailor the Access & Inclusion survey to your needs.
- Survey: An Access & Inclusion survey takes place at a mutually agreed time. Depending on the scale and nature of your needs, the survey may include several BuDS staff and/or volunteers with specialist knowledge, including disabled people themselves. The surveyors will take an interactive approach to all aspects of your business, site, or service, which would be experienced by a disabled customer or user. We look at the whole customer or user journey, from initially finding out about you online through to ‘the exit experience’ on leaving.
- Barriers & Solutions: At every stage of the customer or user journey, surveyors will be looking for barriers which could prevent disabled customers or users from accessing and enjoying themselves on an equal, fair basis with non-disabled customers or users. Barriers encountered may be physical, such as steps, or relate to lack of information, attitudes, or a non-inclusive approach. Each barrier is described and a proposed solution or solutions put forward. Surveyors take a pragmatic and realistic approach which supports the business, site or service to improve.
- Report: A written report is presented listing the surveyors findings, barriers and recommendations. This can be presented orally as well if requested.
- Continuing Support: The survey process does not end with the presentation of the report. Implementing the recommendations and removing the barriers is a complex and potentially lengthy process, and BuDS will support businesses, sites, and services throughout that process.
- Validation: BuDS can arrange a “mystery shopper” and/or a “BuDDy tour” to validate improvements and generate feedback to celebrate achievement. This can also be done for sites which have already improved disability access and inclusion, but would like further feedback from ‘real’ disabled people experiencing their business, site, or service.
Dozens of businesses, sites, and services have already benefited from a Fair4All Access & Inclusion survey. Click here to find out what they thought.
How Much Does This Cost?
It is part of BuDS’ mission as a charity to improve disabled access and inclusion, and the Fair4All Access & Inclusion survey is not a commercial enterprise. Surveys can be arranged partly or wholly on a voluntary basis for organisations or sites which cannot afford a fee.
For businesses and larger organisations, fees are calculated on a bespoke basis depending on the complexity and scope of the survey and the extent of the follow-up. The following fees are only for guidance. For VAT issues, please see here.
- A large pub-restaurant with rooms, requiring an initial meeting, half-day survey, report, several follow-up support queries, associated positive social media: £3000
- A large outdoor recreational space/activity venue, requiring two initial meetings, full-day survey, fully detailed report, several follow-up support queries, associated positive social media: £3500
- A small high street store, requiring an initial meeting and survey over 3 hours, report, no follow-up support queries, associated positive social media: £750
- A healthcare provider operating from single premises, requiring an initial meeting and survey over 3 hours, report, no follow-up support queries, associated positive social media: £1250
- An online information provider, requiring an initial meeting, user testing by a group of 8 disabled people, report, significant follow-up technical queries, associated positive social media: £3500
- Validation BuDDy tour, requiring half-day visit by 6 disabled people, report and feedback, associated positive social media: £1500
Arranging A Fair4All Access & Inclusion Survey
To talk to us about a Fair4All Access & Inclusion Survey, without any obligation, please complete the form below and we will contact you within 3 working days.