Adapt NI invite local organisations to participate in an event, showcasing how to make premises accessible and services more disability friendly. The invitation is open to businesses as well as voluntary and community organisations.
Disabled customers spend £80 billion a year in the UK. Many local organisations are missing out on the opportunity to engage the 21% of the population in Northern Ireland who have a disability: hearing, visual and cognitive impairments, as well as people with physical disabilities.
Through Access Exchange, a unique network that endorses the business case for Disability Equality, Adapt will help you to reach out to the 360,000 disabled people across NI, as well as the International visitors that are your potential customers.
Learn how to attract disabled people as audience members and customers and hear about positive access solutions that work. Local organisations will share their experiences on developing good practice in accessibility. Guest speakers include Ruth Turkington, (formerly NMNI) and Ciara Lowe, Newry & Mourne District Council, who will share their experience of developing access and sustaining good practice in service delivery.
Members of Access Exchange benefit from consultancy and training as part of the move towards being an accessible environment with responsive service delivery for older patrons and disabled people.
Geoff Davidson, NMNI, commented: ‘Our principal aim when we closed the Ulster Museum for refurbishment was to increase the amount of exhibition space and improve access around the building. We used Adapt’s skills to make sure we achieved as much as possible. We were able to train all our new staff in advance of the reopening with an induction programme that included disability awareness training by Adapt. We have seen significant increases in the number and variety of groups who use the Museum and many of these people are now regular visitors who come on their own which I feel is a positive reflection of our reputation. We continue to work hard to increase access for people with disabilities.
The invitation is open to service organisations in all sectors that are keen to develop business opportunities and expand their customer base. Become part of a network that will help ensure your organisation is recognised as disability-friendly and where good access means your business is more welcoming to everyone.
To attend the event or for further information on Adapt NI, please contact info@adaptni.org or telephone 028 9023 1211.
TIME:  Thursday 12th June 2014, 12.30pm – 1.30pm.
 PLACE:  The Sean Hollywood Centre, 1a Bank Parade, Newry.
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Adapt NI is the only organisation solely committed to building equality and inclusion, working with organisations to make services more accessible for the elderly and those with a disability. Since the Disability Discrimination Act was implemented in 1995, access to services across Northern Ireland are still not satisfactory and Adapt aim to improve this by working in partnership with others and involving the whole community. Access and Disability equality is a rights issue and Adapt is a user led organisation involving people of all abilities in all levels of our work.
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