Physical access
‘Dignified access’ occurs when all customers, visitors and employees have safe and equitable access and a dignified experience of EPIC offices. Where access may be limited, a dignified alternative can be arranged.
Dignified access consideration applies to people with both visible and invisible disabilities and barriers.
Features of dignified access at our offices may include:
Walkways and stairways
- Clear, unobstructed path of travel from the street to the entrance
- Walkways and ramps have a minimum width of 1500m to allow easy access for wheelchairs and scooters
- Clear signage for people to find their way directly to the office
- Visible contrast strips on tread of stairs
- Handrails on both sides of stairways
- Tactile surface indicators at the bottom and top of each stairway
Lifts
- Accessible path of travel to the lift
- Lift cars wait for slower travellers
- Floor number selector panel with audio announcement, for the lift occupants, to announce each floor
- Raised tactile and braille signage and selection panel
- Clear access for passengers with mobility issues or wheelchairs and scooters
- Handrails inside the lifts
- Emergency hands-free communication
Reception
- Accessible path of travel to the reception
- Reception desk design and height is not a barrier to communicating with visitors
- Visitors sign in access easily
- Chairs have arms to provide support moving in and out of the chairs
- Chairs and counters with clearance underneath
- Circulation space at doorways for wheelchair and scooter access
Meeting spaces
- Provide dignified meeting spaces that are fit for purpose and have equitable facilities
- Rooms are quiet and free from distraction
- Glass walls or viewing panels in all rooms
- Circulation space to allow for wheelchair and scooter access
- Natural and artificial lighting provides even illumination without creating glare and reflections
Rest rooms
If accessible rest rooms are not located on the premises, we are aware of and can direct to nearest alternative.
Directions to offices
We can provide directions to our offices for people that have specific access requirements.
Public transport
We are aware of the nearest accessible public transport options.
Emergency warning systems
- Effective emergency warning systems for people with vision and/or hearing loss
- Electronic sounders or an amplified sound system for emergency evacuation
- Emergency lighting
- Emergency evacuation plans visible near all entrances and exits
Office design
- Personal use of perfume, deodorant products and cleaning products may be modified to accommodate sensitivity
- Designated smoking areas ensure smoke free entrances, stairwells and rest rooms
- Phone ringtones and television volume may need to be adjusted for comfort
- Noisy activities such as vacuum cleaning and property maintenance may need to be scheduled out-of-hours
- Furniture and textiles are selected to minimise discomfort
- Paper towel may be provided as an alternative to hand dryers
- Lighting adjustments may be possible to minimise discomfort for people with visual sensitivities; this might include using LED or natural lighting instead of fluorescent lights, or turning off lights in a meeting room
- Physical contact will not be made unless permission is given
Online access
Customer-driven design
We seek input from our customers to help guide our website design and content. It helps us deliver an inclusive website that meets the needs of people with different abilities and backgrounds.
We regularly run online surveys, one-on-one interviews, and interactive online activities. If you would like to be involved, we’d love to hear from you.
Website content and code
We are committed to ensuring that our website is usable and accessible to all visitors, including people with disabilities, language barriers, and technical constraints such as low speed internet connections.
This website has been developed to comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) Level AA and meets many Level AAA criteria. WCAG 2.0 is a technical standard developed under the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Listen with BrowseAloud
You can use BrowseAloud on our website. BrowseAloud is a free program that reads out the words on a website, highlighting the words as they are being read aloud.
BrowseAloud may be useful if you:
- find it difficult to read text online
- have literacy or reading problems
- have mild vision impairments
- have learning disabilities such as dyslexia.
Accessibility feedback
We welcome your feedback. If you’re having access difficulties or would like to leave us a suggestion, please get in touch by emailing info@epicassist.org.uk.