Direct Access, the Cheshire based deaf-run accessibility firm, has won International Trader of the Year at the prestigious South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce Awards. The award is the culmination of a successful first year and office opening in the United Arab Emirates.
Since 2004 Direct Access advises organisations on ensuring their premises and services are accessible for disabled people. Millions of people daily use a building or service audited by Direct Access ranging from Virgin and Eurostar trains, Gatwick airport, 800 schools and universities, tourist sites such as the historic Roman Baths an UNESCO World Heritage site and local authorities.
Since 2017, Direct Access has provided consultancy services in the United Arab Emirates working on projects for Nando’s, Emrill and some iconic large-scale construction projects. In August 2018, an office opened at Dubai World Central, to service disability access auditing and training contracts across the Middle East.
Established by profoundly deaf Steven Mifsud in 2004, Direct Access has worked on accessible design for several UK projects including the refurbishment of Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, the Victoria Square retail, hotel and residential development in Woking and counts Virgin Trains, Eurostar and York Racecourse amongst its high-profile clients. “A year ago we started to look at how we can share British expertise in inclusive design in Dubai and Abu Dhabi,” said Director Steven Mifsud.
“The 2017 launch of the Dubai Universal Design Code by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Ruler of Dubai was the opportunity we needed to support clients with ensuring compliance with accessibility.”
“Winning the accolade is the culmination of an exciting year in the Middle East. It is just the start of our plans to improve accessibility in the Middle East for disabled people. What makes us unique is all of our team have a disability providing our clients with unrivalled expertise into the barriers that disabled people face and how they can be addressed.”
