Do An Accessibility Walk Of Your Neighbourhood
Walk your usual streets looking specifically for what would stop a wheelchair or a pram - you'll be shocked what you've never noticed.
- Cost
- Free
- Time
- 90-120 min
- People
- Solo / Duo, Small Group (3-6)
- Where
- Street / Local Business
- Bring
- A phone for photos
Why this matters
Accessibility barriers are invisible to people who don't face them, which is why they persist for years on ordinary streets. Blocked dropped kerbs, broken paving, cars parked across pavements and missing crossings force wheelchair users, blind people and parents with prams into the road. Councils fix what's reported, and almost nobody reports these.
How to do it
Walk a route you know well - your street, the route to the shops, the way to the station - but look at it specifically as an obstacle course.
What to look for: - Dropped kerbs that are missing, damaged, or blocked by parked cars - Broken, uneven or lifted paving - Pavements too narrow for a wheelchair, or blocked by bins, A-boards and overgrown hedges - Crossings without audible signals or tactile paving - Steps into shops with no ramp or alternative - Missing handrails - Poor lighting on paths - Bus stops with no seating or shelter
Photograph each one with its location and report them - to the council for public infrastructure, or to the business for private premises.
How to make it more than an audit: - Try it with a pram, a heavy shopping trolley or crutches if anyone has access to them. It changes what you notice enormously. - Better still, do it with someone who actually faces these barriers, and follow their lead about what matters. Don't assume. - Log accessibility information into map apps as you go so it's useful to others immediately. - For shop steps, mention it kindly to the owner. Many genuinely haven't thought about it and some will act.
An hour on one street usually produces a dozen reports.