Getting out and about

Access to venues and toilets

AccessAble

AccessAble, previously known as DisabledGo, specialises in providing accessibility information for a range of venues across the UK.

These include:

• shops
• pubs
• restaurants
• cinemas
• theatres
• railway stations
• hotels
• colleges
• universities
• hospitals

Each venue listed on their website is visited in person by a trained surveyor who photographs the building and checks the accessibility details are correct.

This means you have access to the detailed information you need to work out if a place is going to be accessible to you.

Visit the AccessAble website.

The Access Card

Nimbus, a disability consultancy service, developed the Access Card in response to frustrations shared by disabled people and a major live music promoter in how disability was evidenced and needs for reasonable adjustments communicated.

The card is now widely accepted at major event venues across the UK and beyond.

Find out more about The Access Card and how to apply.

Toilets

Find a toilet

The Great British Toilet Map website shows toilet facilities in places such as:

• bus and train stations
• fuel stations
• shopping centres
• shops and cafes
• libraries
• leisure centres

The website aims to only map toilets that members of the public can use without needing to be a customer.

RADAR key scheme

Many public accessible toilets (also referred to as disabled toilets) are fitted with a RADAR lock. To access these toilets you need a special key. This is either silver (older style) or has a blue heart fob (newer style).

RADAR locks and keys are part of the National Key Scheme (NKS) designed to:

• offer disabled people independent access to locked public toilets around the country (previously some establishments locked accessible toilets and you had to request the key)
• keep accessible toilets clean, free from vandalism or misuse, and readily available to those who really need them

You can find out more about the RADAR scheme on the Disability Rights UK website.

You can find accessible toilets that use RADAR keys on the Great British Toilet Map website. Just use the search facility to filter by ‘RADAR key’.

Changing Places toilets

Changing Places Toilets are fully accessible toilets that have been designed for people who are not able to use the toilet independently.

This includes people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, or with physical difficulties such as spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis.

You can find a local Changing Places Toilet on the Changing Places website.

Last updated 13 November 2023