| Holiday Name: | Disabled Access Day |
| Official Name: | Disabled Access Day |
| Observedby: | United Kingdom |
| Date: | March |
| Date2015: | 17 January |
| Observances: | Open days, Accessible events, Celebrations |
| Type: | national |
| Significance: | Celebrating accessibility and inclusion across the UK |
| Scheduling: | ad hoc |
| Frequency: | biennial |
| Duration: | 1 day |
Disabled Access Day is a biennial event in the United Kingdom that celebrates accessibility.[1] [2] The first event was held on Saturday 17 January 2015 and over 200 organisations took part across the UK and further afield.[3] [4] The last Disabled Access Day took place on 16 March 2019. Disabled Access Day was cancelled in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disabled Access Day came about after Paul Ralph, a powerchair user and Euan's Guide supporter, went to a 'try it out day' at his local bus company:
In 2015, the Westminster parliament passed a motion in support of the event.[5] The motion highlighted that several major attractions such as Buckingham Palace and St Paul's Cathedral had signed up.[6] The first event was supported by over 200 museums, galleries, attractions and businesses in the UK.[7]
Following the success of the first event, the second event more than quadrupled in size and was held on 12 March 2016 and the third Disabled Access Day was an extended weekend of activities during 10–12 March 2017. The event became biennial after 2017.
In 2019 Disabled Access Day took place on Saturday 16 March 2019. This was the fourth Disabled Access Day with over 13,000 participants.
Disabled Access Day was cancelled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and no new dates have been released.
Disabled Access Day is sponsored by Euan's Guide, the disabled access review website. Euan's Guide was founded by Euan MacDonald, a powerchair user, and his sister Kiki. Information about accessibility for all places that hold events on Disabled Access Day can be found on the Euan's Guide website.[8]
Other major sponsors of the event include Barclays plc and Sandcastle Water Park.
Cracking Campaign, The Scottish Charity Awards 2016[9]