Accessibility Tools

Access Audit

What is an Access Audit?

An Access Audit is a review and assessment of a building or facility and the services within a building or public space, to evaluate its accessibility and compliance with relevant standards and codes of practice, such as Approved Document Part M and British Standards BS8300 to offer an inclusive built environment.

Why do you need an Access Audit?

All buildings in the UK must be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, and all facilities within these buildings must accommodate individuals with diverse characteristics. The Equality Act 2010 outlines nine protected characteristics that must be considered when offering services, constructing, or refurbishing new structures. Everyone should be able to independently access and move around buildings and external spaces without difficulty or obstruction.

Access Audits provide clients with guidance on improving the spaces they manage to ensure inclusivity for all. By creating accessible environments, clients enhance opportunities for people with disabilities, fostering greater independence and better access to services. Improved accessibility allows service providers to reach a broader audience, benefiting both users and providers.

Accessible and Inclusive Spaces

Our Access Audit Services involve a visit to our client’s premises to take photographs, measure widths and heights and assess the existing accessibility provision and compliance. After the site visit, our team will prepare thorough reports with photographic evidence and information on the compliance with the current standards, such as Approved Document Part M and K, British Standards BS8300, and where applicable the Department of Transport (DfTs) Approved Code of Practices for Accessible Railway Stations. In the reports, the team inform and advise on the improvements that are required to offer accessible and inclusive spaces.

Access Audits not only assess compliance with accessibility standards but also look at the inclusivity of spaces in reference to all protected characteristics as per the Equality Act 2010:

  • age
  • disability
  • gender reassignment
  • marriage and civil partnership
  • pregnancy and maternity
  • race
  • religion or belief
  • sex
  • sexual orientation

Our Experienced Access Auditors

Our team of Access Auditors are trained in accessibility audits, registered with the National Register of Accessibility Consultants (NRAC) with credentials listed here, and have experience delivering Access Audits across various sectors, including offices, railway stations, and the public realm.

Please contact us if you have any questions about our Access Audit Services, or if you would like to discuss an Access Audit of your premises.

Please note: Access Audits are often called DDA Audits. It is no longer correct to use the name DDA Audits as it refers to the old Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The DDA was replaced by the Equality Act 2010, which consolidates a number of legislations such as: the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003, the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, the Equality Act 2006, Part 2, the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007.

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Martyna Szypowicz BSc (Hons) MSc CertIOSH IMaPS

Associate Director