Unique access guide set to launch

A unique new guide, designed to empower thousands of disabled residents to get out and do what they want to do in Tandridge, is set to be launched on Thursday 8 October, at the Orpheus Centre by Richard Stilgoe.

Put together thanks to sponsorship from Tandridge District Council, DisabledGo – Tandridge will open up this area to residents and visitors.  DisabledGo and Tandridge District Council have worked with hundreds of shops, pubs, restaurants, theatres and other public venues, so the website 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, for example, whether a pub is accessible to a wheelchair user, a cinema can offer a hearing loop, a hotel offers adapted rooms or a restaurant offers menus in large print or Braille.
 
The guide will also enable Tandridge businesses and service providers to contact the huge number of customers who have access concerns. According to government figures there are 11 million disabled people in the UK with an annual spending power of £80 billion. This guide will help local businesses to reach new customers among Tandridge residents and visitors.
 
The founder of DisabledGo, wheelchair user Dr. Gregory Burke, said: “The constant need to write or telephone to enquire about access really affects people’s confidence to get out and do what they want to do. 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.”
 
Councillor Martin Fisher, Chairman of the Resources Committee, said: ‘Disabled people are no small minority. One in six of the British population is disabled and disabled people have an annual spend of £80 billion. Those are numbers that any business or service provider should take seriously. I hope that this guide will open up all that Tandridge has to offer to everyone.’
 
The DisabledGo - Tandridge guide will be available from 8 October on www.DisabledGo.info, as well as from www.tandridge.gov.uk.
 
If you would like more information on the guide please contact Vicky Goodall, Partnership Manager, DisabledGo, on 01438 842 710, e-mail victoria.goodall@disabledgo.info.

Source: Tandridge Council

Contact;
Giuseppina Valenza
Communications Manager
Policy Unit
Tandridge District Council
Tel: 01883 732704
E-mail: gvalenza@tandridge.gov.uk