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Elmbridge does not have a dedicated disability Officer but it has an active disability group formed from volunteers who meet on a regular basis which represents the interests of disabled people throughout the Borough.
In recent years great strides have been made in changes to the law which has done much to improve the rights of disabled people and the Elmbridge Access Group has been at the forefront of pressing for changes which will assist disabled people and making information available to disabled and able bodied people alike.
It is easy to recognise a disabled person if they are sitting in a wheelchair or if they are carrying a white stick and being assisted by a guide dog, but it is much less easy to recognise a disabled person who is partially sighted, profoundly deaf or someone with learning difficulties.
One in five adults in the country, around 10 million people, have a disability and it is the legal duty of all businesses and other organisations providing services to the public, whatever their size, to make "reasonable adjustments" to remove barriers to accessibility and ensure that all disabled people are treated "no less favourably" than able bodied people.
For shops, restaurants and small businesses it is important to realise that disabled adults have currently a spending power in the region of £80 billion per year so giving more thought to the needs of disabled customers is not just the right thing to do, but it makes good financial business sense as well.
The Elmbridge Access Group welcomes new members, whether they are disabled people themselves, carers or people with an interest in equality who merely wish to help. Details of how to join the Access Group or obtain information from other sources is available in the following links.We hope the following information provides a useful information resource for you.
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