Therefore, the Capital Region of Denmark is focussing on the “Accessibility” labelling scheme with an initiative to contact health professionals in the region and offer them a free visit from a consultant from Accessibility to analyse the physical access conditions.
The Capital Region of Denmark wants to spread awareness of the Accessibility Label and thereby help people with disabilities to find out about physical access conditions at practices in the region.
Therefore, hundreds of healthcare professionals in the region will be contacted in October and early November, and by the end of 2019 all the healthcare professionals in the region will have been offered a free visit from an Accessibility consultant to enroll them in the labelling scheme.
“People living with a disability need to know in advance whether they can get into the practice they are to visit. It’s not just a matter of choosing a specialist from a list like the rest of us when we have to see a physiotherapist or a psychologist,” said Sophie Hæstorp Andersen (Social Democrats), Chairman of the Regional Council. She continued:
“Therefore, we want to make it possible to easily find out about the physical access conditions at our specialists, and Accessibility will help us do this. We hope that the practices in the region will support the Accessibility scheme and take up our offer of a free visit from a consultant from Accessibility.”
After a visit from an Accessibility consultant, practices are awarded up to seven Accessibility Labels aiming at different types of disability, and a description of the practice is drawn up.
The description is then made available on the godadgang.dk and sundhed.dk websites, and the practice can publish it on its own website. Accessibility can also help with advice on how to improve accessibility.
The process is easy and free for specialists and requires no more than that the specialist says “yes” to the offer of a visit.
Accessibility for everyone
Access conditions are an important consideration for many people when they are booking an appointment with a health professional, whether it be a physiotherapist, a chiropractor, a chiropodist, GP, specialist doctor, dentist or psychologist.
“We hope that more focus on Accessibility will make specialists aware that there are benefits for themselves and their patients if, prior to their consultation, patients can find out about the physical access conditions.
Therefore, we hope that specialists in the region will welcome the offer of a free visit from an Accessibility consultant so that together we can make things easier for the disabled,” said Sophie Hæstorp Andersen.
For further information, please contact:
Sophie Hæstorp Andersen (Social Democrats), Chairman of the Regional Council, through the press office: + 45 70 20 95 88
Facts about the Accessibility label scheme
The Accessibility label scheme provides information about physical access conditions to buildings and outdoor areas at specialist practices. The godadgang.dk website contains information and descriptions of access routes to places under the labelling scheme.
The objective is to make life easier for the disabled who need to know about accessibility when they are planning treatment at a new specialist.
The label scheme includes seven labels aiming at different groups of disabled, each with different requirements for accessibility. When a practice joins Accessibility, it is granted the relevant labels indicating that it meets the minimum accessibility requirements.
The seven groups are:
- Wheelchair users
- People with reduced mobility, arm and hand impairments
- People with visual impairments
- People with hearing impairments
- People with asthma or allergy
- People with mental disabilities
- People with reading difficulties