New panel to ensure public spaces and buildings across North Wales are accessible to all
14/11/2024
During Disability History Month the North Wales Public Service Boards have launched an Access Panel as part of a two-year initiative to promote inclusivity and accessibility in public spaces including hospitals, libraries, community centres and others.
The North Wales Access Panel is made up of representatives of third sector organisations and is being funded by the Public Service Boards with additional funding from the North West Wales Community Cohesion Fund. The panel members will receive training to effectively carry out access surveys in public spaces and provide feedback reports to ensure the accessibility of services and spaces.
The panel will be led by Sarah Thomas, Managing Director of Centre of Sign Sight Sound, and will have membership from approximately 40 representatives of third sector organisations across North Wales, to be able to gain training and information that can be used to inform their own inclusive and accessibility policies.
Sarah said: “This is an amazing opportunity for third sector organisations and more importantly, people with lived experience, to inform and influence accessibility in public spaces. It is great that access to information is included as it is often forgotten.
“I am excited to work with a diverse team of people to support statutory services and other organisations to ensure their services are accessible to everyone.”
The Public Service Boards are supported by the six North Wales local authorities and public sector organisations including Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board which is supporting the planning and implementation of the initiative as part of their Strategic Equality Plan.
Dyfed Jones, Independent Member of the Health Board, said: “This is an exciting approach to be working with third sector organisations as well as public spaces across North Wales. This may be ensuring leisure centers are fully inclusive and accessible which empowers people to proactively manage their health, or ensuring libraries and community centres are fully inclusive and accessible, ensuring people can access support in gaining employment, education and training.”
Jan Underwood, Chair of Arfon Access Group, which campaigns for disability access, said “Arfon Access welcomes the initiative of the North Wales Access Panel which will see the creation of an inclusive panel that will oversee accessibility issues in public sector sites and spaces.
“This innovative project aims to put the disabled community at its heart, allowing lived experience to guide accessibility that is fit for the 21st century, as promised with the creation of the Equality Act 2010. It is imperative that disabled people in North Wales become self-sufficient in assessing and steering the accessibility and inclusivity of public spaces, ensuring our full participation in society without the barriers that we so often face.
Jan Thomas, Chief Officer of the FDF for Independent Living said: “We are thrilled to be invited to be involved in the new North Wales Access Panel. As the only Centre for Independent Living in North Wales working across all six counties, we are very aware of the challenges disabled people experience when trying to live independently.
“Only disabled people with actual lived experience can comment and influence access to the environment in which they live. Disabled people have a right to not only live but to have a life that is fully inclusive no matter their impairment.
“Well done to the Health Board and Centre of Sign Sight Sound for bringing this project together for the benefit of all.”
The panel has a variety of audit tools to cover disability, language, race and cultural competence, LGBTQ+ inclusive and age inclusivity, and will co-create and share guidance for these spaces.
Karen Beattie, an independent disability campaigner on the new North Wales Access Panel, said: “So often decisions are made by non-disabled people on how to make an inclusive environment. The North Wales panel members includes disabled people with lived experience and promotes the ethos of 'nothing about us without us.”