Paul J Ralph, FRSA
editPaul is the Founder of Disabled Access Day. Established in 2015, the inaugural day went viral with 261 venues taking part across 11 countries. The reach of the event was staggering with an estimated 412,826,000 media impressions.
Disabled Access Day started in 2015 as a small idea amongst a group of friends. Little did we know that 200 venues would take part in 2015 and over 1,000 in 2016.
Talking of the activities of 2016 Paul said:
"Never in my wildest dreams, but always in my wishes, did I imagine people across the UK and beyond would engage wth the spirit of Disabled #AccesDay 2016 so fully and with such fun!"
He went on to say: "I know that many people, including me, wish that every day was disabled access day, but I recognise that for now that’s not the case. However, there are lots of venues across the UK that have great accessibility, who want to try new activities, receive open and honest feedback and engage with new customers.
The first Disabled Access Day took place in January 2015 and we received lots of positive feedback from both venues and people who took part on the day. Lots of venues used the day as an opportunity to try out new activities or launch a new feature or service and that’s what Disabled Access Day is all about!"
When not involved in Disabled Access Day Paul can be found heading up Partners in Access. The organisation provides a mechanism for talented disabled people to come together to deliver consultancy services to business, public sector and voluntary organisations. The “a conversation with” programme gives enterprises the opportunity to engage directly with disabled people when planning, testing or developing their service offerings.
A major interest for Paul has been working with his friend and colleague, Euan MacDonald, MBE, in the development of Euan’s Guide. A rapidly growing website and app featuring disabled access reviews from disabled people and their friends and families. He supports the guide as their Access and Inclusion Director.
When not working on projects Paul spends time travelling and advising on access and inclusion; often to the tourism and hospitality trade. He is a member of several professional bodies and has written several publications as well as presenting workshops and participating in advisory groups.