A national campaign to open up business to Britain’s 8.5 million disabled people is being launched today by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC).
The Open 4 All campaign will run for one year during the countdown to new equal access laws coming in to force next year. The campaign aims to make businesses and service providers aware of what changes they need to make to their shops and premises that will ensure that more disabled people can use them..
From 1st October 2004 anyone that provides a service that is open to the public will have to ensure that physical barriers which make it difficult for disabled people to receive fair treatment are removed.
Help is at hand for golf club and golf range owners and managers, as Mike Shaw, Secretary of the National Golf Clubs‘ Advisory Association (NGCAA) explains. “Any queries regarding disability and the impact of the Act are dealt with either by myself or where necessary under the guidance of standing counsel.
“The EGU has funded the research and development of a Disability Audit Pack which is available to both members and non members of the Association at a modest cost, both to assess what work may be required to be done and to provide evidence that the matters are under consideration, which is a current statutory requirement.
“Furthermore copies of a specimen ‘motorised buggy policy‘ is published on our web site and this assists with certain aspects of course matters which clubs will have to take into account.
“The EGU and other home unions together with the AGCS have extended to me a number of invitations over the last two years to address secretaries at national and regional level on the subject, at which I may say I have always been well received.”
NGCAA Tel 0161 338 8680 NGCAA www.ngcaa.org.uk
Equal access rights for disabled people
