When we talk about accessibility in the workplace, it’s easy to think simply about whether someone can physically get through the door. But true accessibility is much wider than that.
This resource looks at the whole journey through a working day — arriving at work, moving around the building, using a workstation, accessing toilets, kitchens and rest areas, attending meetings and events, and being able to leave safely.
Something I think is particularly important is recognising fatigue. A workplace or route may technically be described as accessible, but if navigating it uses an unsustainable amount of somebody’s energy, we still need to consider whether their needs are genuinely being met.
Accessibility shouldn’t just mean:
“Can you get into the building?”
It should also mean:
“Can you move around, work, access what you need and get through your working day safely and sustainably?”
Sometimes it is the smaller practical barriers that make the biggest difference to someone's working day. Listening to the individual and understanding their actual experience is where meaningful workplace support begins.
With love,
Maggie
Space to Breathe Therapy
