INDEPENDENT LIVING

Euan needs all OUR help

All Together NOW! readers are being

urged to help bring about positive change by taking part in the UK’s biggest survey of access.

Disabled access charity Euan’s Guide, which covers issues such as toilets and parking, asks if access is generally better or worse in a world living with Covid, and this year includes the rising cost of living.

Last year, 2,400 people took part in the survey – most with a disability (97%), with the rest made up of carers, friends and healthcare professionals.

Among the findings were: l 92% of respondents try to find disabled access information before visiting somewhere new. l 56% avoid visiting a venue if it has not shared its disabled access information. l 73% said that they had found information on a venue’s website to be misleading, confusing or inaccurate. l 73% had experienced a disappointing trip or had to change plans due to poor accessibility. l Accessible parking and accessible toilets remain a top priority for disabled visitors.

Euan’s Guide was set up in 2013 by Euan MacDonald, a powerchair user, and his sister Kiki, after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

They found that a lack of disabled access made everyday experiences stressful and they soon learned that other disabled people faced the same challenges.

Euan said: “This survey is extremely important in establishing how disabled people, their families, friends and carers feel about disabled access through their own lived experiences. ” n Euan’s Guide: Tel. 0131 510 5106

www.euansguide.com/AccessSurvey

CAMPAIGNER: Euan MacDonald

Lifehouse Liverpool, 0151 709 0121

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT . . .Business & IP Centre, Liverpool City Region

How we can help YOU to or start grow EXPERT help and advice all at your fingertps your business

HAVE you got an idea to start a business? Are you wondering what’s involved in being self-employed?

Do you need help to grow and existing business?

Did you know that you can access a huge range of resources at the Business & IP Centre (BIPC) in Liverpool Central Library?

BIPCs are a free service designed to support anyone who wants to start or grow a business. Many people with disabilities run successful enterprises –some are not for profit, some are charities, others are small business or sole trading operations right through to multi-million-pound companies.

BIPCs offer a wide range of resources and a comfortable, welcoming space with free wi-fi in which to work on your business.

If you have an idea and you want to protect it, you can access professional legal advice around copyrights, trade marks or patents.

For anyone writing a business plan or researching a market there are free databases providing up-to-theminute market trends and information.

You can download industry guides and explore all sorts of opportunities such as running your own pub, consultancy, café or restaurant or starting up an online business.

There are how-to guides on everything from fashion, art, wellbeing and personal fitness to food, music, technology, hospitality and much more.

n Liverpool Central Library is a fully accessible venue. n The BIPC team is friendly and approachable with a genuine passion for helping entrepreneurs. n Since being set up in 2015 over 6,000 people have benefited from BIPC support. n There are weekly drop-in advice clinics in the library and a fantastic programme of online and physical events take place on a wide range of topics which are all free.

n BIPC Liverpool is part of a national network led by the British Library in London and part-funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Last year BIPC Locals were opened across Liverpool and in St Helens, Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral and Halton. n If you would like to find out more about how

BIPC Liverpool can help you with your business idea, email libraries.enquiries@liverpool.gov.uk or call 0151 233 5835 / 0151 351 1735

n Twitter @BIPCLiverpool n liverpool.gov.uk/bipc