About Access Staintons

Access Staintons is a Chartered Surveyors practice and Access Consultancy, exclusively advising on issues relating to disabled access. Established as a specialist practice in 2001, its origins are derived from the restructuring of Staintons Hospitality Surveyors based in Leeds, Yorkshire, that was established in 1972, originally being a division of that practice from 1999.

The practice is held in high regard for its realistic approach to disabled access, with empathy for disabled people gained from the fact that David Stainton is ambulant disabled, and from experience gained through practice, including working with the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. With both partners very experienced in the property aspects and the operational issues of hospitality businesses, the practice has natural strength in this sector. However, Access Staintons have become much more broadly based.

Our clients include government and local authority bodies, colleges and universities, hospital trusts, voluntary and charitable disability organisations, churches, shopping centres, museums and art galleries, stately homes and historic buildings, and offices, Football Clubs, leisure operators, as well as visitor attractions, hotel and catering , and holiday parks within the tourist and hospitality sector.

Our small "family" team ensures a consistency of approach, quality of advice, and reporting in a format that best suits the client's requirements.

To ensure access for all may not necessarily involve major physical alterations, but provision of low cost adaptation and auxiliary aids or a change in the way that a service is provided, and a change of attitude as an extension of good customer service.

The creation of adapt-Able, in early 2005, a division of Access Staintons designed to meet the need for providing advice on the most suitable access adaptations to suit specific purposes, has resulted in us sourcing and supplying a range of innovative products at exceptionally competitive prices. (See "Our Services" for more detailed information).

In the latter instance, our training package includes disability awareness for front line staff and management, as well as our access awareness package, titled "The Obstacle Course" aimed at designers, facilities management and operators. (See "Our Services" for more detailed information)

We are also listed as expert advisors on access issues to:

• Centre for Accessible Environments

• Civic Trust Awards

• English Heritage Lottery Fund

• The Arts Council

• The Council for Museums Archives and Libraries

• National Association of Disabled Supporters

• Disability Rights Commission trained for provision of training on disability and access awareness

• Yorkshire Tourist Board

• Cumbria Tourist Board

Partners

DAVID STAINTON FRICS NRAC Consultant

Mr David Stainton is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, an Access Consultant Member 002 of the National Register of Access Consultants, and a member of the Centre for Accessible Environments.

In addition to private, public and local authority bodies, and private client retained advisor, he is an access advisor to The Civic Trust Awards; Access Advisor/Associate to NADS (The National Association of Disabled Supporters), listed advisor to The Arts Council, Heritage Lottery Fund and Resource; and to the Yorkshire Tourist Board, delivering Disability Awareness Seminars, and other advice to its membership.

David regularly makes presentations to Tourist Boards, local hotel , business and trade organisations, colleges, and to estates and customer service departments of audit clients on access issues.

He is a former Trustee of the Centre for Accessible Environments, now retained as a member of their expert Panel of Consultants, a Trustee of Aberford Almshouse Charities Trust, a sheltered housing scheme near Leeds, and a past Executive Board Member of Yorkshire Tourist Board.

He has also achieved the newly introduced Inclusive Enironment Consultant status within the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

He has over forty years experience in the surveying profession, and personally undertakes physical access audits, and providing solutions and recommendations, as well as Consultancy on a wide range of access issues.

David Stainton is himself ambulant disabled, following Polio at a very early age, so he has empathy with disabled clients and also with the service provider, through his professional experience.

PAULA STAINTON BA (HONS) IHM

Paula Stainton is a partner in Access Staintons, as well as being Client Service, Marketing and Project Manager for the Consultancy.

She has an honours degree in International Hospitality Management, with several years experience in various aspects of hotel management , including Conference and Banqueting, before joining Staintons practice, where she was Client Liaison and Marketing Manager for Staintons Hospitality Surveyors, before becoming a partner in Access Staintons.

Paula is a member of the Centre for Accessible Environments.

She has considerable experience in access auditing in various locations to date, including major NHS Trust projects, Primary Care Trust projects, local authority and educational properties, public, historic and leisure buildings, hotels and visitor attractions, and was retained to advise on suitable hotel conference venues on behalf of the Disability Rights Commission.

Her role in respect of the audit reports includes actual access auditing on site, as well as the very important programming of inspection and reports delivery, including liaising with site management, so as to ensure smooth running of the audits; progress meetings and subsequent implementation meetings with clients. She also controls office based administration of the projects.

She has also been involved in organisation and delivery of Disability Awareness Seminars and Exhibitions, and is a qualified NVQ trainer

"Inclusivity"

Inclusivity is how we see the need to consider universal design, to ensure enjoyment of services and user friendliness of buildings to people with a wide range of physical and sensory disabilities. In this way, the service and facility can also be improved for all, including non-disabled, rather than drawing attention to people's disabilities by conspicuous adaptations. The overall design and character that may be the very reason for the visit, is not prejudiced.