Just 2% of British courthouses are fully accessible according to a new report by law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp.
The firm assessed 444 courthouses in England, Wales, and Scotland on 11 accessibility criteria and found that only 8% offer witness support/and or quiet rooms for people with mental health issues, only 10% offer dedicated children’s rooms, and only 16% are fully accessible for wheelchair users.
However, 77% offer hearing loops and accept assistance dogs.
DR UK CEO Kamran Mallick said: “It is an absurd situation that ten years after the Equality Act was made law, stating that reasonable adjustments must be made to accommodate disabled people, the places where the law is most commonly upheld still do not abide by the Equality Act.
“There cannot be a pick and mix approach to accessibility where adaptations are made for people with hearing and visual impairment, but not for those with other types of disabilities. Accessibility, like the law itself, must be upheld as a universal principle.”
The Bolt Burden Kemp report analysed the availability of disabled parking, accessible toilets, lifts, hearing loop systems, interview rooms, baby changing facilities, video conference facilities, wireless internet access, witness support facilities, wheelchair access and the allowance of assistance dogs.
Only 2% of courthouses across Britain were able to meet all 11 of the criteria listed above – eight courthouses in total. Of these, one was in Wales, one was in the North East, two were in the North West, one was in the Midlands and three were in the South West.
The past decade has seen the government follow a programme of reforms designed to improve the courthouse process for all users. However, while accessibility was a factor in these reforms, the closure of courthouses disproportionately affected people with accessibility issues. Campaigners also say that ease of access hasn’t improved significantly enough.
You can read the full report here: https://www.boltburdonkemp.co.uk/news-blogs/campaign/only-2-percent-british-courthouses-fully-accessible/