Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities network plans accessibility guidelines for Legislatures

As part of its ongoing work in making Legislatures more accessible to persons with disabilities, the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network is planning to publish guidance on conducting accessibility audits for the benefit of the CPA’s membership.

Many Parliaments find that an accessibility audit is a crucial step to be taken ahead of making changes to their facilities, ensuring that the right areas are being prioritised to maximise the impact of adjustments to their premises.

The Scottish Parliament invited the CPwD Network’s Coordinator, Clive Barker, to observe their first accessibility audit to learn about the measures undertaken in assessing the Parliament’s access to persons with disabilities. The accessibility audit was part of a suite of recommendations arising from ‘A Parliament for all’ – the report of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party Gender Sensitive Audit.

The accessibility audit reviewed a wide range of locations incorporating the debating chamber, Committee rooms and other areas. The audit also involved meetings with various stakeholders, including Members and parliamentary staff to learn of the barriers currently facing persons with disabilities in navigating the building. The implementation of the audit’s findings will be overseen by the Scottish Parliament’s Facilities Management team.

The CPwD Regional Champion for the CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region, Jeremy Balfour, MSP (Scotland) said:

“I'm pleased that the Scottish Parliament could assist the CPwD network whilst developing its accessibility guidance for Commonwealth Legislatures via the observation of our audit. The audit is an important step towards full inclusion within our Parliament, and I hope that through the network's forthcoming self-assessment framework, our experience can inspire and support other Commonwealth Legislatures in undertaking similar work. Accessibility is fundamental to democratic participation, and the CPwD network's leadership in this area is making meaningful change across the globe.”

Above: The CPwD Regional Champion for the CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region, Jeremy Balfour, MSP (right) welcomed the CPwD Network’s Coordinator, Clive Barker, to The Scottish Parliament to observe their first accessibility audit.

Improving access to Commonwealth Parliaments for Parliamentarians, parliamentary staff and citizens with disabilities has been a core objective of the CPwD network since its inception.

In recent years, the CPwD’s Capital Investment Fund, a reserve of funding available to Commonwealth Parliaments to support accessibility initiatives, has funded initiatives in CPA Branches aimed at improving accessibility and access through physical infrastructure.

• To read about a recent accessibility audit in the Isle of Man’s Parliament click here.

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The Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network, within the wider Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, facilitates activities and programmes to champion and increase the representation of persons with disabilities in Commonwealth Parliaments and works towards the mainstreaming of disability considerations in all CPA activities and programmes. The network supports elected representatives with disabilities in 180 Parliaments and Legislatures across the Commonwealth and ensures that issues of persons with disabilities are brought to the fore in parliamentary debate and legislation.

For media enquiries, please contact communications@cpahq.org.