Barclays take part in Disabled Access Day!

Disabled Access Day will take place across the three days of 10^th – 12^th March 2017. Disabled Access Day began in 2015 as a day to celebrate good access and created opportunities for people to try something new. The day was about highlighting the fantastic access that already exists in places, such as touch tours, relaxed performances, sensory experiences and level access.

Barclays have long shown commitment to making a more accessible and inclusive society, from providing accessible services for customers, to assisting other businesses to become more inclusive and they are the official headline partner of Disabled Access Day 2017. Barclays are turning their London, Edinburgh and Leeds branches into Access Day hotspots with a range of fun and inclusive activities, exhibits and giveaways taking place. Other Barclays branches around the UK will be hosting mini events and displays, bringing to life all the ways you can make banking more accessible. For details of what’s happening, please check with your local branch.

On Friday 10^th March the London Piccadilly Circus branch will be hosting the Disabled Access Day Ambassador, multi-gold-medal-winning Paralympic Champion Sophie Christiansen OBE. Sophie will be meeting Access Day fans and singing autographs. There will also be dance performances from Magpie Dance Group and Stopgapdance Company ‘Troop’ and, on Saturday 11^th March, Cando2 Dance Company will be performing in the branch.

In the Leeds Albion Street branch activities will include branch accessibility tours, pop-up stands from Leep, Your Health Matters, People in Action, Leeds Mencap, Specialist Autism Services and Sunshine and Smiles. On Friday 10^th March Emma Horsfall, the local Digital Eagle, will be demonstrating how a Micro:bit, (a piece of technology that is used to teach children to code), could be used to help people with sight loss to navigate around the branch.

Activities at Edinburgh’s Princes Street branch will include branch accessibility tours, pop-up stands from local charity Mindroom (and more to be announced), mini exhibition of work by disabled artist Sarah Ezekiel, bPay promotion and more.

Barclays have been working hard for some time to become the most accessible and inclusive bank for all their customers and clients. This year Barclays are looking at the following:

• Updating and refreshing disability awareness and etiquette training for our staff
• Making better use of accessible technology
• Introducing instant Sign Video British Sign Language interpreter services for telephony and services in our branches
• Ensuring all of our online content and services are fully accessible to screen readers
• Exploring opportunities for secure chat through online and mobile services
• Reviewing the remaining branches which are not step free
• Making better use of customer feedback to improve the accessibility of our products and services

Are you interested in a career with Barclays? Please click here.

VERCIDA works with over one hundred clients who are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. If you are an employer and interested in working with VERCIDA to promote your diversity and inclusion initiatives and attract the best candidates, please call 02037405973 or email [email protected] for more information.

We are also officially recommended by Disability Confident as a step on achieving Employer status, please click here for more information.