Martyn's story

How to raise awareness of accessibility in your local high street

Martyn, a 26-year-old from Cambridge, used an access audit to raise awareness of accessibility issues for disabled people on his local high street.

"Most people on a Sunday would take for granted that they can wander down to their local newsagent to buy a paper and their favourite chocolate bar, but not me because my nearest shop had two large steps outside.

“Access does not just stop at widening doorways, putting in hearing loops or installing an accessible toilet. I’ve found that the attitudes of people can have a big impact, too.

“I wanted to celebrate good examples of access in Cambridge and inform local businesses of the small steps they could take to improve access for everyone.

“Running a survey allowed me to start that conversation, and now my local shop has installed a temporary ramp and a buzzer, which means that now I'm always buying chocolate!"

Want to campaign in your local high street? Go to the step-by-step guide to campaigning on the high street.