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Follow on Google News |  Blue Badge Style Launches Pictorial Access DescriptionsStylish Guide Brings Venues’ Disability Facilities to Life Online
By: PR Savvy Blue Badge Style PADs will assess a stylish venue from the point of view of the less-physically- Founder of Blue Badge Style, Fiona Jarvis explains, “Hotels and restaurants have often made significant investments in creating a stylish and accessible place for disabled people, but too often the information is hidden, not available on the website, or in one case, hidden beneath a paragraph about the hotel accepting dogs!” She continues, “People with mobility issues will check out a hotel, restaurant or bar online before they go, but it’s often very difficult to work out what the obstacles are for your particular type of disability. For example a walking stick user will want to know if there’s a handrail on the stairs, whilst a wheelchair user needs to know how easy is it to get up a ramp. It’s all about knowing what to expect. Blue Badge Style’s pictorial descriptions will be as cool as the venue’s website, allowing potential customers to make an informed choice before going out and having a good time!”. The PAD will appear on a website as a button and once clicked, takes the customer visually through the access points before their visit. It includes overlay photos and narrative of facilities and is placed on an easy to find area of a website. The PAD can also be published on the Blue Badge Style website, and accessed via the app, where the Blue Badge Style Michelin-like Ticks can also be added. Blue Badge Style is the only company that looks at disability from the point of view of style & design, taking a stylish, pragmatic and cost-efficient approach to inclusive access, working with venue management teams, designers and architects to improve the awareness of disabled facilities. “Style is the overriding premise of Blue Badge Style, along with a positive outlook” says Fiona Jarvis, “disability need not stop you from enjoying the good things in life!”. Notes to Editors Photography available on request About the Stylish Less-Physically- The Family Resources Survey (FRS) 2010/11 states that 19% of the UK population suffer from some form of long-term disability (11.5m). There are also an estimated 6 million carers. This does not include temporarily disabled people, their families, friends or unregistered carers. The annual spending power of disabled adults in Britain covered by the DDA is estimated at £80 billion per year – (DRC - Disability in Scotland 2004: Key Facts and Figures – 2005). 33% of people aged 50-64 in Britain have a disability – (Labour Market Trends report, April 2005). 80% of UK wealth is in the hands of people aged over 45 – (Age Profiling: Monitoring the make-up of your workforce", DWP, 2006). The Blue Badge Style network is estimated to have a potential on line community of 1.5m stylish, cash rich and loyal visitors, spending £1.7Bn per year on restaurants and hotels alone (FRS 2010/11). Some figures put the disability market value at £86Bn in 2012. The disability equipment market is valued at £1.46Bn (DLF/ Plimsoll figs 2008). We estimate 10% of these markets are people who regard themselves as ‘stylish’. About Blue Badge Style The unique Blue Badge Style Tick Rating System is designed to encourage venues to provide Equality of Access to Goods & Services for less-able people. The organization rates out of 5 for each category: 1. Access, 2. Facilities and 3. Style. The scores are then aggregated to a number of Blue Badge Style Ticks from 0.5 to a maximum of 3. Our aim is for ‘as recommended by Blue Badge Style’ to become an aspirational goal for any item, organisation or establishment. BBS is affiliated with the National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC (http://www.nrac.org.uk/ Developed in conjunction with UCL Advances and Stuxbot (http://www.stuxbot.co.uk/ iPhone/iPad – http://itunes.apple.com/ Android – https://play.google.com/ BlackBerry – http://appworld.blackberry.com/ About Fiona Jarvis Fiona Jarvis established the Blue Badge Style website in 2007 to create a community of like-minded people for whom style and disability are not mutually exclusive. She first realised she might have multiple sclerosis after falling off her high heels in a bar once too often. She has become progressively disabled over a period of 20 years. However, Fiona has always refused to compromise on her own style, whether that’s eating in smart restaurants, wearing elegant clothes or going on glamorous holidays. Through all the challenges, Fiona has carried on and not compromised on style. She embodies the Blue Badge Style Spirit! As Coco Chanel said: “Fashion fades; only style remains the same”. For more information about Blue Badge Style, please contact PR Savvy: Mayra Cunningham / mayra.cunningham@ Kate Warwick / kate.warwick@ Lisa Devaney / lisa.devaney@ End
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