Welcome to the new Business Support Hub. Please use this form to provide any comments or suggestions.
It’s helpful for visitors with access requirements to know what your business is like before they visit. Disabled people, families with young children or older visitors want to know how accessible your business is. This could include knowing what the physical building is like, whether you have a quiet space or if your staff are trained in sign language, and if there is an audio guide.
They can search for and read about your accessibility features to see if your business meets their requirements.
VisitScotland has joined with AccessAble to offer a Detailed Access Guide service for tourism and events businesses. This service helps you gather and share detailed accessibility information so that disabled customers can make an information decision about your ability to meet their specific requirements.
A Detailed Access Guide costs from £100 + VAT depending on your business size but will help you share accurate information about your accessibility features and promote your business to a growing market.
JavaScript needs to be enabled to watch this video. You can turn this on in your browser settings.
Inclusive Tourism video
Hear from Carrie-Ann Lightley in this short video on why access information helps both businesses and potential visitors. Carrie is Head of Marketing at AccessAble and a leading accessible travel writer and speaker.
Number of customers with access requirements who will check a business' website when planning a trip.
Number of customers who find information on a venue's website to be misleading, confusing, or inaccurate.
Number of visitors who think if a business doesn't advertise their accessible services, they don't have any.
Not finding information on accessibility is one of the top barriers to visiting somewhere new.
Source: Euan's Guide Access Survey 2022
An accessibility guide gives a detailed description of the accessibility features and services your business can offer – but it doesn’t rate your access or give a review.
It’s a detailed description of all parts of the customer journey including:
This allows anyone – disabled people, their family and friends or those with a long-term health condition – to review the information and decide if your business is right for them.
You will also receive an Accessibility Improvement Report to help you identify potential barriers preventing people from visiting your business.
The guides are not specific to one disability – instead they include information that is relevant to people with a diverse range of access needs. This is all based on information specifically requested by all the people who have used the AccessAble website over its 20-year history.
The completed guide appears on the AccessAble website, which showcases accessibility guides for all kinds of businesses from accommodation to attractions, hospitals to universities.
AccessAble began in 2000 when Dr Gregory Burke, a wheelchair user and disabled walker, became frustrated at the lack of accessibility information.
The cost of a Detailed Access Guide is based on the size and type of your business and lasts for 18 months.
The Detailed Access Guide needs to be renewed every 18 months to ensure the information is accurate and up-to-date. There are a range of renewal options available, starting from £20 + VAT.
There are two types of assessment you can sign up for – a Guided Assessment via video call or an On-Site Assessment, both with an AccessAble Surveyor.
The video call option is a cost-effective solution for small businesses, while the in-person visit is a better match for larger businesses or complex buildings where people tend to spend a lot of time.
Both offer tips and guidance on inclusive marketing and how to get the most out of your access guide.
All access guides are listed on the AccessAble website, so your business is discoverable to disabled visitors seeking information on accessible tourism businesses.
Other places to feature your access guide
Get a personalised quote for your Detailed Access Guide from AccessAble. They can tell you how much it would cost for your particular business and what the first steps will be.
