Spotlight on Dundee Access Group
What target groups do you help
Our target group is people with disabilities who live in or visit Dundee. The primary aim of Dundee Access Group is to ensure that people with disabilities can enjoy as many of the facilities of Dundee as possible.
And how do the volunteers help?
We suggest ways in which shops, public buildings and places in Dundee can be altered to ensure that, wherever possible, people with (mobility, sensory or hidden) disabilities can gain access to and enjoy being in them. To do this we liaise with Dundee Council and with the owners of the shops and premises. Recently we have been consulted by Sustrans about the cycle/footpath routes in the city, including the path between Broughty Ferry and Monifieth and about the pocket parks in Stobswell.
We are consulted by designers on major city projects to make them more accessible, including the V&A, the new railway station, the RPC (Regional Performance Centre for Sport) in Caird Park and the new Urban Beach on the Waterfront.
Recently some of the members of our group have given accessibility advice to both Dundee and Dundee United Football Clubs.
We have portable ramps available for the public to borrow.
We support Pamiloo, the mobile Changing Places toilet, and Shopmobility.
What volunteer roles do you have, and do you have any areas you wish to get more volunteer involvement?
We need more volunteers from all areas in Dundee to tell us whenever they notice access is a problem. We have volunteers in the West End and in the Ferry that can easily visit sites in those areas for us, but not in other areas of Dundee, so new volunteers from other areas would be extremely useful.
What skills & experience are required to volunteer with you?
We need people who are interested in making Dundee more accessible. Some experience of a disability would be useful but is not essential.
What training can the volunteer expect?
No formal training will be given but volunteers learn from other members of the group who have lots of experience.
Volunteers statement or story
LS joined the group because she uses a powerchair and couldn’t access some premises in Perth Road. After joining our group, she took our advice and negotiated with the shop owners and made it easier for wheelchair users to now use the post office, shop at the butchers and visit the hairdressers there. She also negotiated with DCC to get dropped kerbs in her street.
CC joined the group a few years ago because she has a daughter who uses a powerchair. Since then she has initiated many dropped kerbs, and given advice to numerous establishments to make their premises more disabled friendly and liaised with Dundee Council on planning applications. Most recently when she visited Victoria play park with her daughter and a toddler in a buggy on a wet day, the entrance was very muddy. She drew it to the attention of DCC and it has now been tarmacked.
Having had a history of volunteering for various organisations both in Inverness and Dundee SC was happy to help when asked to reorganise the group’s financial affairs Having rectified the financial records, he was happy to stay on as he enjoyed the group meetings, made new friends and was pleased his daughter could become involved too. He thought it good for both of them, despite little knowledge of disability issues, to know they are of some help to others.
