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Accessibility visit

Visit a local place and find out about accessibility.

Back to Activities

You’ll need

  • Pens or pencils (optional)
  • Paper (optional)
  • Clipboards (optional)
  • Camera (optional)

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help.

Planning and setting up this activity

  • An adult volunteer should plan a visit to somewhere in your local area. It could be a playground, a park, a shopping centre, a library, a cinema, a community centre, a supermarket, or somewhere else. You can find some useful information and links on this page. Use our guidance on planning an outing.
  • See if anyone from the location is available to give a talk about the site and what they are doing for accessibility. If no one is available, a volunteer should do some quick research to find out a little more about the place.
  • If anyone in the group has lived experience of disability, they could share their story if they feel comfortable doing so. It’s important that no one’s made to share anything they don’t want to, and no one should talk about someone else’s disability unless that person says it’s okay. All discussions should respect people’s privacy, and a person’s disability should never be disclosed without their direct consent. You may wish to tell everyone about the topic in advance of the session.
  • You may need to offer reassurance to anyone who may find this topic difficult. Remember to always follow the Yellow Card.
  • Find out more about young carers and disability inclusion in Scouts.

At Scouts, we follow the social model of disability. The social model of disability is a way of viewing the world, developed by disabled people. The model says that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference. Barriers can be physical, such as buildings not having accessible toilets or not having access to a BSL interpreter. Or they can be caused by people's attitudes to difference, such as people assuming disabled people can't do certain things. 

The social model helps us recognise barriers that make life harder for disabled people. Removing these barriers creates equality and offers disabled people more independence, choice and control. 

You can find out more about the social model of disability on Scope's website. 

Remember, although we'll use certain wording in line with the social model, it'll vary from person to person in how people view or describe their own disability. It's important to take the person's lead, and use the words that they use if you're having a conversation about disability.

  • ramps or lifts (physical disability)
  • signs or maps with Braille (visual impairment)
  • tactile paving (visual impairment)
  • audio tours being available (visual impairment)
  • the edge of each stair step marked in a different colour or material (visual impairment)
  • access to a BSL interpreter (hearing impairment)
  • Hidden Disability Sunflower signs or lanyards (non-visible disabilities)
  • wider doorways and corridors
  • hearing loop system indicators (small signs with a ‘T’ symbol) 
  • accessible bathrooms 
  • ‘Changing Places’ toilet 
  • disabled parking spaces 
  • benches or seating
  • automatic doors or easily operated doors 
  • lower reception desks and counters
  • wheelchair spaces at tables or picnic benches
  • quiet room or sensory room
  • sensory backpacks
  • handrails
  • inclusive play equipment
  • clear and helpful signs
  • quiet hours
  • autism-friendly hours or events
  • dropped Kerbs in pavements
  • well-lit pathways
  • visual fire alarms
  • captioned or text-displaying information panels, such as digital screens with subtitles for announcements
  • glass panels with taped or marked edges

Here's some links you might find useful when deciding where to visit:

AccessAble Accessibility Guide - Search for detailed accessibility information for venues around the UK, including shops, cinemas, theatres, railway stations and more.

Accessibility of playgrounds - Find out about accessibility of playgrounds near you.

Audio-described events and touch tours - Find listings of audio-described events and touch tours at theatres, museums, galleries, and other venues. These experiences are designed to make art and culture more accessible for blind and visually impaired people.

Autism-friendly film screenings  -  Find information and listings for autism-friendly screenings at cinemas across the UK.

Changing Places Toilets - Find out where there are Changing Places Toilets near you. These are a type of accessible toilet that is larger and includes equipment for people who need extra support.

Sunflower-friendly places -  Search for venues such as shops and leisure centres that support people with non-visible disabilities. Look out for the Sunflower symbol.

 

Running this activity

Exploring the venue

  1. Meet everyone at your venue. Gather everyone together and explain that they'll be finding out about things that have been done to help everyone access or enjoy the space. Make sure to give everyone a safety briefing for the venue and remind everyone to be respectful to other users.
  2. You may wish to split into small groups, with at least one adult in each group.
  3. Ask everyone to try to look for things that might be needed by, or helpful, for disabled people. Encourage them to think of different types of disabilities, such as: 
    • Physical disabilities, such as people who might use wheelchairs or mobility aids
    • Visual impairments, such as people who are blind or partially sighted
    • Hearing impairments, such as people who are deaf or hard of hearing
    • Learning disabilities, which may mean people who have difficulty reading or understanding information

Discussing what you find

  1. People could write down, draw or take photos of what they found.
  2. Choose something you discovered and find out more about it. You could speak to a member of staff at the venue to learn more.
  3. At the end of the visit, ask everyone about what they found. See if they can think about who might need this or find it useful. 

Reflection

This activity was about accessibility in our community. What has the venue done to be inclusive and accessible to everyone? How has this made it more accessible? Who has it made it more accessible for? Some places might not be as accessible as they could be or could do even more to include everyone. Can you think of any ways it could become more accessible for everyone? Some ideas might be having large text or pictures on signs, having more lifts or ramps, having disabled parking and toilets, or installing a hearing loop.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Outdoor activities

You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.

Visits away from your meeting place

Complete a thorough risk assessment and include hazards, such as roads, woodland, plants, animals, and bodies of water (for example, rivers, ponds, lakes, and seas). You’ll probably need more adult helpers than usual. Your risk assessment should include how many adults you need. The young people to adult ratios are a minimum requirement. When you do your risk assessment, you might decide that you need more adults than the ratio specifies. Think about extra equipment that you may need to take with you, such as high visibility clothing, a first aid kit, water, and waterproofs. Throughout the activity, watch out for changes in the weather and do regular headcounts. 

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Beavers Disability Awareness Activity Badge

If you spotted some accessibility issues or things that could be improved, you may wish to see if there’s someone who you can give feedback to or ask questions of. If the area is owned by the local council, such as a park, you could write to them or speak to your local MP.