Disabled-friendly guide launched

A new online guide has been launched to help promote businesses in Fife which provide a disabled-friendly service. DisabledGo has rated shops and other services based on their ability to cater for people in wheelchairs or who have visual or hearing difficulties.

The scheme has been backed by Fife Council after it secured a sponsorship deal from a major High Street retailer. The spending power of people with disabilities in the UK has been estimated to be worth about £80m.

The guide advises if a pub is accessible to a wheelchair user or whether a cinema can offer a hearing loop. It also provides information on whether a hotel provides adapted rooms and whether a restaurant offers menus in large print or Braille.

Deputy leader of Fife Council, Elizabeth Riches, said: "We want everyone living in Fife to be a part of their community and to get the most from the services and leisure and cultural opportunities available. As a council, one of our main priorities is supporting vulnerable people to achieve this."

The website cover access across the UK but has now been expanded into Fife.

Wheelchair user Gregory Burke said: "The constant need to write or telephone to enquire about access really affects a person's confidence to get out and do what they want to do. DisabledGo ends that uncertainty by providing detailed access information and enabling people to judge for themselves whether a shop, restaurant or theatre is accessible for their own requirements."