Educational and reflective resource. You can use this resource independently or discuss it with a practitioner. It does not provide an individual assessment or establish a therapy relationship.

← For Referrers and Services
For
Managers, access leads and staff of therapy and counselling services; disabled people checking a service
Time
About 20 minutes to read; the full audit is a team task over a few weeks
Format
Audit with ten stages, scoring and an action plan
Prints
Yes
Evidence
Accessibility standards and law; the audit itself is this site’s own
FOR REFERRERS AND SERVICES

Service accessibility audit and action plan.

A working audit for therapy and counselling services, built around the whole range of disabled people who might use you: physical, sensory, intellectual, communication, neurodivergent, cognitive, fluctuating and psychosocial. It turns “we’re accessible” into evidence, and evidence into a plan.

Read in 60 seconds

What this is: about 80 checks across ten stages of the client journey, from finding you to leadership. Each check is tagged with who it mainly helps.

How it works: score each check against what actually happens, not what the policy says. Then sort what you find into fix now, plan, and structural change.

What it isn’t: a legal compliance check, or a certificate. It’s a way of finding barriers and deciding what to do about them.

One thing to take away: do it with disabled people, and pay them.

I manage or lead a service

I work on my own

I’m a disabled person checking a service

Download the audit workbook (Word)

How to run the audit

  1. Form a small audit group. Include a manager who can make decisions, frontline and admin staff, and disabled people who use, or have tried to use, the service. Pay the people who aren’t staff.
  2. Walk the journey, don’t just read the policies. Phone the service, fill in the form, use the website with a screen reader, wheel the route from the bus stop, sit in the waiting room at a busy time.
  3. Gather evidence, not intentions. “We would book an interpreter” isn’t a Yes. “We booked twelve last year, and here’s the process” is.
  4. Score each check using the four options below, and note your evidence.
  5. Prioritise. Sort what you find into fix now, plan, and structural change.
  6. Act, publish and review. Tell people what you’re changing and what you can’t yet offer. Repeat the audit within a year.

Design for the range, not the label. Many people have more than one impairment, many have no diagnosis, and many don’t call themselves disabled. The groups below are there to widen your thinking, not to sort people into boxes. Ask everyone what helps, and don’t ask for proof.

Who this audit has in mind

Disabled people are not one group. The same service can be fully accessible to one person and impossible for another. Read across these before you start, so you can see who your current setup works for, and who it quietly leaves out.

Physical disability and mobility

Wheelchair users, people who walk with difficulty or use aids, people with limited hand use or dexterity, people of short stature.

BarriersSteps, heavy doors, a reception desk at standing height, an “accessible” toilet used as a store room, paper forms, chairs with no arms.

What helpsA step-free route checked in practice, a usable toilet, a range of chairs, space to turn, forms that can be filled in digitally or by conversation.

Blind and partially sighted people

Including people with low vision, sight loss that changes, and colour vision differences.

BarriersWebsites and forms that don’t work with screen readers, PDFs that are pictures of text, poor signage and contrast, being shown things.

What helpsTested websites and forms, large print, audio, Braille or accessible Word on request, being oriented to the room, assistance dogs welcome, visual materials described.

Deaf sign language users

A linguistic and cultural minority. Irish Sign Language (ISL) in Ireland, British Sign Language (BSL) in Britain.

BarriersPhone-only contact, no interpreter, written English assumed as a first language, family members asked to interpret.

What helpsText, email and video relay contact, qualified interpreters booked and paid for by the service, the same interpreter where possible, signed information, Deaf therapists or Deaf-led services as an option.

Hard of hearing and deafened people

Including people with tinnitus, cochlear implants or hearing aids, and people who lost hearing later in life.

BarriersBackground noise, phone calls, faces in shadow, masks, group rooms, video calls without captions.

What helpsA working, tested hearing loop, quiet rooms, light on faces, captions online, live speech-to-text, key points written down.

Deafblind people

Combined sight and hearing loss, from birth or acquired. The needs aren’t simply those of Deaf people plus blind people.

BarriersServices planning for one sense only, unfamiliar rooms, rushed appointments, no communicator-guide.

What helpsCommunicator-guides or tactile and hands-on interpreters, much more time, consistent rooms and people, planning with the person in advance.

Speech differences and AAC users

People with cerebral palsy, motor neurone disease, a stammer, a laryngectomy and more, and people who use communication aids (AAC).

BarriersPhone triage, being rushed, sentences finished for them, staff talking to a companion instead, speech mistaken for intellectual disability.

What helpsTime, text options, asking before helping, devices charged and positioned, longer sessions, never judging understanding by speech.

Aphasia and acquired language difficulties

Language affected after a stroke, brain injury or other neurological condition. Thinking is often intact.

BarriersDense letters, fast talk, assessments and therapies that rely on words.

What helpsAphasia-friendly information (short sentences, key words, pictures), supported conversation techniques, written key words, yes/no checks.

Developmental language disorder (DLD)

A lifelong difficulty understanding or using language. Often hidden: people may seem to follow when they don’t.

BarriersComplex wording, abstract questions, being judged as unmotivated or oppositional.

What helpsPlain language, visuals, asking the person to explain back in their own words, extra processing time.

Intellectual disability

Called learning disability in the UK. Ranges from mild to profound.

BarriersBeing told therapy won’t work, diagnostic overshadowing, consent processes no one has adapted, talk-only therapy, conversation aimed at carers.

What helpsEasy read, more and longer sessions, adapted and creative methods, supported decision-making, supporters involved with the person’s agreement, speaking to the person first.

Specific learning differences

Dyslexia, dyspraxia (DCD), dyscalculia and related differences.

BarriersLong forms, written homework and worksheets, timed tasks, complicated booking systems.

What helpsOptions that don’t need writing, audio, readable fonts and backgrounds, reminders, help with forms.

Autistic people and people with ADHD

Neurodivergent people, diagnosed or not.

BarriersUnpredictable processes, phone calls, busy waiting areas, eye-contact and “engagement” assumptions, rigid lateness rules, therapy that treats difference as disorder.

What helpsClear information in advance (photos, who you’ll meet, what happens), written agendas, choice of contact method, reminders, quiet waiting, flexibility, neurodiversity-affirming practice.

Sensory processing differences

Over- or under-sensitivity to light, sound, smell, touch or movement. Common across many disabilities.

BarriersFluorescent or flickering lights, noise, strong scents, scratchy or rigid seating.

What helpsAdjustable lighting, a scent-free approach, choice of seat, fidgets welcome, permission to move.

Brain injury, memory and cognitive impairment

Acquired brain injury, dementia, cognitive effects of illness, treatment or medication.

BarriersForgetting an appointment and being discharged, fatigue, complex letters, changing staff.

What helpsReminders in the chosen format, written summaries, shorter sessions, the same therapist, supporters involved with consent.

Chronic illness, pain and fatigue

ME/CFS, long COVID, MS, arthritis, EDS, Crohn’s and many more. Often fluctuating and often invisible.

BarriersRigid attendance rules, early slots, long waits, long assessments, stairs and standing, being doubted.

What helpsOnline as a real option, flexible cancellation, rest breaks, the option to recline or lie down, energy-aware scheduling, being believed.

Mental health and psychosocial disability

Long-term mental health conditions and the barriers around them. Some people don’t identify as disabled; that’s their call.

BarriersBeing “too complex” for one service and “not unwell enough” for another, discharge for disengagement, past coercion, unclear rules about risk and records.

What helpsNo wrong door, trauma-informed processes, clear explanations of confidentiality and risk, peer support, a planned way back.

Epilepsy and other episodic conditions

Including seizures, fainting conditions and migraine.

BarriersFlickering lights, no plan for an episode in a session, fear and over-caution.

What helpsA plan agreed with the person, staff trained in first aid, steady lighting, no assumption that the person can’t take part.

Visible difference

Facial difference, scarring, skin conditions, limb difference and other visible conditions, disabled or not.

BarriersStaring, intrusive questions, assumptions about what therapy is “really” about.

What helpsStaff training, letting the person lead on what’s relevant, images in your materials that include visible difference.

Multiple and complex needs

People with several impairments, people who need personal care during a visit, people who use PAs, people living in residential settings.

BarriersServices designed for one need at a time, no changing facilities, no privacy from staff or family.

What helpsPlanning with the person, PAs welcome, a Changing Places toilet or knowing the nearest one, private time with the therapist, joined-up support.

Also think about

  • People who speak another language as well as being disabled: you may need a spoken-language interpreter and an accessible format at once.
  • Disabled children and young people, and the adults around them, if your service sees them.
  • Disabled parents and carers, who may need adjustments to bring or support someone else.
  • People who’ve been harmed by services before. Previous experiences of coercion, segregation or not being believed shape whether someone will trust you.

Scoring each check

Each check is tagged with the groups it mainly helps. A check tagged Almost everyone is about the system as a whole.

  • Mobility & dexterity
  • Sight
  • Deaf & hearing
  • Deafblind
  • Speech & language
  • Learning
  • Autistic, ADHD & sensory
  • Memory & cognition
  • Fluctuating & fatigue
  • Mental health
  • Almost everyone
YesIt’s written down, people know about it, and you’ve seen it work in practice.
PartlyIt exists, but it’s inconsistent, undocumented, untested or depends on one person.
Not yetIt doesn’t happen, or nobody’s sure.
N/AUse sparingly. Most “doesn’t apply to us” answers turn out to be Not yet.

You can fill in this page on screen and print it, but it won’t save. For a team audit, use the Word workbook, which has columns for evidence, action, owner and date.

Stage 1 of 10

Finding the service and information

1.1  Your website meets WCAG 2.2 AA, and disabled people using screen readers, keyboard only, voice control and zoom have tested it.
SightMobility & dexterityAutistic, ADHD & sensory
1.2  A plain-language access statement says what you offer and what you don’t yet: the building, online options, interpreters, session lengths, costs.
Almost everyone
1.3  Key information is available in easy read.
LearningSpeech & languageMemory & cognition
1.4  Key information is available as signed video (ISL or BSL).
Deaf & hearing
1.5  Photos or a short video show the building, the route in, and who people will meet.
Autistic, ADHD & sensoryMental healthMobility & dexterity
1.6  Large print, audio, Braille and accessible Word versions are available on request, without the person having to chase.
SightDeafblind
1.7  Documents are real text, not scanned images, with good contrast and clear headings.
SightLearning
1.8  Referrers, such as GPs, schools and disability services, know what access you offer.
Almost everyone

Evidence and notes for stage 1

Stage 2 of 10

First contact and referral

2.1  People can contact you in at least three ways, including at least one that isn’t the phone (email, text, web form, video relay).
Deaf & hearingSpeech & languageAutistic, ADHD & sensoryMental health
2.2  People can refer themselves, unless a professional referral is genuinely required.
Almost everyone
2.3  Referral forms ask about access needs, say why, and say who will see the answer.
Almost everyone
2.4  Forms can be completed online, on paper, by conversation or with a supporter.
SightMobility & dexterityLearning
2.5  Staff who answer contacts can take relay calls, and give people time to finish.
Deaf & hearingSpeech & language
2.6  No exclusion criteria screen out disabled people by category (for example “learning disability”, “non-verbal”, “brain injury”) without individual assessment.
LearningSpeech & languageMemory & cognitionMental health
2.7  People are told how long they’ll wait and what happens next, in the format they chose.
Almost everyone

Evidence and notes for stage 2

Stage 3 of 10

Assessment, intake and consent

3.1  Assessments can be extended, split over more than one session, held online or held somewhere else.
Fluctuating & fatigueSpeech & languageMemory & cognition
3.2  Interpreters, communicator-guides and speech-to-text reporters are qualified, and booked and paid for by the service. Family members are not asked to interpret.
Deaf & hearingDeafblind
3.3  Spoken-language interpreters are available, and staff think about language and disability together.
Almost everyone
3.4  Questionnaires and outcome measures have accessible alternatives, and staff know where measures may misread disability (for example fatigue or pain items on depression scales).
Fluctuating & fatigueSightLearning
3.5  Consent is explained in a way the person understands. Capacity is presumed, and people get support to decide.
LearningMemory & cognitionSpeech & language
3.6  The person can bring a supporter, advocate or PA, and decides what that person’s role is.
Almost everyone
3.7  Staff speak to the person, not to the companion or interpreter.
Speech & languageLearningDeaf & hearing
3.8  Access needs are recorded once, with consent, and reach the therapist, so the person doesn’t have to explain again.
Almost everyone
3.9  Assessors are trained to recognise diagnostic overshadowing.
LearningMental healthSpeech & language

Evidence and notes for stage 3

Stage 4 of 10

Getting there and the building

4.1  Directions, transport links, a drop-off point and accessible parking are described in several formats.
Mobility & dexteritySightFluctuating & fatigue
4.2  The route from street to therapy room is step-free and has been checked by walking and wheeling it: door weights, thresholds, ramps, lift reliability.
Mobility & dexterityFluctuating & fatigue
4.3  The accessible toilet is usable: not used for storage, alarm cord hanging free, space to transfer. You know where the nearest Changing Places toilet is.
Mobility & dexterity
4.4  Therapy rooms are big enough for a wheelchair, a PA and an interpreter, with a range of chairs (with arms, higher, firmer).
Mobility & dexterityFluctuating & fatigueDeaf & hearing
4.5  Signs are clear, high contrast and pictorial, with tactile information where possible.
SightLearningMemory & cognition
4.6  A hearing loop is installed, signposted, tested regularly, and staff know how to switch it on.
Deaf & hearing
4.7  Lighting is even and doesn’t flicker, faces are well lit, and lighting can be adjusted.
Deaf & hearingSightAutistic, ADHD & sensoryFluctuating & fatigue
4.8  There’s a quiet place to wait, or people can wait elsewhere and be called by text.
Autistic, ADHD & sensoryMental healthMemory & cognition
4.9  Rooms are reasonably quiet, and you avoid strong scents.
Autistic, ADHD & sensoryFluctuating & fatigue
4.10  Everyone can get out in an emergency: personal evacuation plans are offered, and alarms are visual as well as audible.
Mobility & dexterityDeaf & hearingSight
4.11  Assistance dogs are welcome, and staff know it.
SightDeaf & hearingAutistic, ADHD & sensory

Evidence and notes for stage 4

Stage 5 of 10

Online and phone sessions

5.1  Online sessions are a real choice, not second best, and aren’t charged differently.
Fluctuating & fatigueMobility & dexterityMental health
5.2  The video platform works with screen readers and keyboards, on low bandwidth, and without creating an account.
SightMobility & dexterityLearning
5.3  Captions are available, and interpreters can be pinned or spotlighted on screen.
Deaf & hearing
5.4  Text-based (chat) sessions are available.
Deaf & hearingSpeech & languageAutistic, ADHD & sensory
5.5  Joining instructions are clear and accessible, and a test call is offered.
LearningMemory & cognitionSight
5.6  There’s a privacy plan for people who live with family, carers or staff.
LearningMental health
5.7  There’s an agreed plan for if the connection drops or the person becomes unwell.
Almost everyone
5.8  Phone sessions can use relay or captioned telephone services.
Deaf & hearingSpeech & language

Evidence and notes for stage 5

Stage 6 of 10

In sessions

6.1  Session length, frequency, time of day and breaks can be adjusted.
Fluctuating & fatigueAutistic, ADHD & sensoryMemory & cognition
6.2  Therapists check access at the start and when needs change, and can offer a written access agreement.
Almost everyone
6.3  Methods can be adapted: visual, creative and less text-heavy, with homework optional or adapted.
LearningSpeech & languageSight
6.4  AAC users get the time they need, and devices are charged and positioned before starting.
Speech & language
6.5  Session materials are available in large print, easy read, audio or screen-readable formats.
SightLearning
6.6  Interpreters are briefed about therapy, the same interpreter is used where possible, and therapists are trained to work with them.
Deaf & hearingDeafblind
6.7  Touch, movement and body-based work always have consent and alternatives.
Mobility & dexterityFluctuating & fatigue
6.8  Therapists don’t interpret access needs psychologically without asking.
Almost everyone
6.9  A supporter’s or PA’s role in the room is agreed, and private time with the therapist is offered.
LearningMobility & dexteritySpeech & language
6.10  Sensory adjustments are possible: lighting, noise, seating, fidgets, moving around.
Autistic, ADHD & sensory
6.11  Therapists can work with disability as identity and community, not only as loss.
Almost everyone

Evidence and notes for stage 6

Stage 7 of 10

Attendance, cancellation, waiting and discharge

7.1  After a missed session, someone gets in touch, asks why and offers alternatives. There’s no automatic discharge.
Fluctuating & fatigueMemory & cognitionMental health
7.2  Late-cancellation fees are waived or adjusted when the reason is disability-related.
Fluctuating & fatigue
7.3  There’s flexibility about lateness caused by transport, care routines or disability.
Mobility & dexterityAutistic, ADHD & sensoryFluctuating & fatigue
7.4  Reminders are sent in the format and at the time the person chooses.
Memory & cognitionAutistic, ADHD & sensoryLearning
7.5  Session limits can be extended as an adjustment, for example when interpreting or AAC halves the time available.
LearningSpeech & languageDeaf & hearing
7.6  Waiting-list rules don’t remove people who couldn’t reply in time (for example “opt in within 14 days”).
Memory & cognitionSightFluctuating & fatigue
7.7  A place can be held during a hospital stay or a flare, with a plan for coming back.
Fluctuating & fatigueMental health
7.8  Policies have been checked for whether they fall harder on disabled people.
Almost everyone

Evidence and notes for stage 7

Stage 8 of 10

Feedback, complaints, advocacy and safeguarding

8.1  Feedback and complaints can be given in several formats: easy read, signed video, by conversation, with support.
Almost everyone
8.2  Independent advocacy is offered and signposted.
LearningMental healthMemory & cognition
8.3  People are told what changed because of their feedback.
Almost everyone
8.4  Staff understand that disabled people face higher risks of abuse and of over-protection, and safeguarding is accessible and person-centred.
LearningMemory & cognitionMental health
8.5  You ask for feedback from people who left early, didn’t attend or couldn’t get in.
Almost everyone
8.6  Complaints about access are recorded as their own category, so you can see patterns.
Almost everyone

Evidence and notes for stage 8

Stage 9 of 10

Endings, records and follow-up

9.1  Endings are planned with the person, with notice in their chosen format.
Almost everyone
9.2  Letters and reports are written in plain language, in the person’s preferred format, and copied to them.
SightLearning
9.3  Records describe access needs, not only diagnoses, and describe disability respectfully.
Almost everyone
9.4  Access information is shared with other services only with consent.
Almost everyone
9.5  People know how to come back, and coming back is easy.
Fluctuating & fatigueMental health
9.6  Before referring on, you check whether the other service is accessible to this person.
Almost everyone

Evidence and notes for stage 9

Stage 10 of 10

Staff, training and leadership

10.1  A named access lead has time and authority to make changes.
Almost everyone
10.2  There’s a central budget for interpreters, formats and adjustments, so cost doesn’t fall on one team or put staff off booking.
Almost everyone
10.3  All staff have disability training, co-delivered by disabled people, covering models of disability, communication, diagnostic overshadowing and ableism.
Almost everyone
10.4  Disabled people work in the service, including as therapists, with adjustments in place.
Almost everyone
10.5  Disabled people are paid to help design and review the service.
Almost everyone
10.6  You collect data on who uses the service, who doesn’t, and which adjustments were asked for and not provided.
Almost everyone
10.7  New systems, such as booking software, video platforms and buildings, are checked for accessibility before you buy or move.
Almost everyone
10.8  This audit is repeated at least once a year, and a summary is published.
Almost everyone

Evidence and notes for stage 10

From findings to an action plan

Go back through every Partly and Not yet. For each one, name the barrier in plain words, who it affects, and which of these three it is.

Fix now

Low or no cost, within your control, doable in weeks. Usually policies, information, wording and habits. A missed-session rule, a contact route, an access statement.

Plan

Needs money, training, procurement or time, within the next year. A new video platform, easy-read materials, staff training, a hearing loop.

Structural

Needs funding, commissioning or building change. Name it, record it, and tell people honestly what you can’t offer until then, and where else they can go.

What to do first

Start with barriers that stop people getting in at all: phone-only contact, an inaccessible front door, exclusion criteria, automatic discharge. A barrier that keeps someone out entirely matters more than one that makes the service harder to use.

Action plan
BarrierWho it affectsActionFix now, plan or structuralOwnerBy whenHow we’ll know

“How we’ll know” should be something you can check: an interpreter booked within a week, no automatic discharges in six months, a disabled reviewer confirming the form works with a screen reader.

Ten quick wins for this month

  1. Publish an honest access statement: what you offer, and what you don’t yet.
  2. Add a way to contact you that isn’t the phone.
  3. Replace automatic discharge after missed sessions with “contact first, ask why, offer alternatives”.
  4. Add an access question to your referral form, saying why you ask and who sees the answer.
  5. Test the hearing loop, and clear anything stored in the accessible toilet.
  6. Put photos of the building, the entrance and the route online.
  7. Let people choose how they get reminders: text, email, letter or call.
  8. Rewrite one key letter in plain language, and make an easy-read version.
  9. Set up a central budget code and a simple process for booking interpreters.
  10. Pay three disabled people who use, or tried to use, your service to walk one stage with you.

Involving disabled people properly

  • Pay people for their time and expertise, at a fair rate, and cover travel and support costs.
  • Make the involvement itself accessible: formats, meeting times, online options, breaks, interpreters, papers sent in advance.
  • Reach beyond your current clients. The people who couldn’t get in, or left, often know the most. Disabled people’s organisations and Deaf-led organisations can help you reach them.
  • Don’t ask one person to speak for all disabled people. A wheelchair user can’t tell you what works for an autistic person or a Deaf ISL user.
  • Don’t rely on disabled staff as unpaid consultants. If it’s part of their role, recognise it in their workload.
  • Close the loop. Tell people what changed, what didn’t, and why.

If you’re a disabled person checking a service

You don’t have to audit anyone. But these questions can tell you a lot, quickly. A good service will be glad you asked, and honest about what it can’t do.

  • Can I contact you without using the phone?
  • Can you tell me exactly how to get from the street to the therapy room?
  • Do you book and pay for interpreters or communication support?
  • Can sessions be online, shorter, longer or at a different time if I need that?
  • What happens if I miss a session because of my health or transport?
  • Can I bring a supporter or PA, and can I also have time alone with the therapist?
  • Will my access needs be passed to my therapist, so I don’t have to explain again?
  • What can’t you offer yet?

For help raising this once you’ve started, see the Therapy Access Agreement.

An example

Fictional teaching example

Róisín manages a university counselling service. She runs the audit with two staff and four disabled students, who are paid: a wheelchair user, a Deaf ISL user, an autistic student and a student with ME/CFS.

In the first two stages they find that triage is by phone only, the online form doesn’t work with a screen reader, and students are discharged after one missed session. The hearing loop in reception hasn’t worked for a year. Interpreter costs come out of the counselling team’s small budget, so staff quietly avoid booking them, and Deaf students are steered towards email counselling.

Their plan:

  • Fix now: text and email triage, contact before discharge, the loop repaired, interpreter costs moved to the university’s central disability budget, and an honest access statement.
  • Plan: a new accessible form, easy-read information, and training co-delivered by disabled students.
  • Structural: one therapy room is up a flight of stairs. It’s no longer used for first appointments, and a step-free room is in the next building plan.

Six months later, more students ask for adjustments, because they now know they can. Róisín reads that as the service getting better, not busier.

Róisín and her service are invented for teaching. They are not real.

Ireland and the UK at a glance

This is orientation, not legal advice. Law and guidance change, so check the current position for your setting.

Ireland

  • Equal Status Acts 2000–2018: service providers must make reasonable accommodation for disabled people, unless it would cost more than a nominal amount.
  • Disability Act 2005, Part 3: public bodies must make their services and information accessible. The National Disability Authority’s Code of Practice explains how.
  • Irish Sign Language Act 2017: public bodies must do all that’s reasonable to provide free ISL interpretation for people using statutory services, using accredited interpreters.
  • Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015: capacity is presumed, and people have a right to support to make decisions.

UK

  • Equality Act 2010 (England, Scotland, Wales): service providers must make reasonable adjustments, and the duty is anticipatory: you should plan ahead, not wait to be asked. Northern Ireland has the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 instead.
  • Accessible Information Standard (England): NHS and publicly funded adult social care must identify, record, flag, share and meet people’s information and communication needs.
  • British Sign Language Act 2022: recognises BSL in law and requires government reporting and guidance. Day-to-day duties on services come mainly from the Equality Act. Scotland also has the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015.
  • Mental Capacity Act 2005 (England and Wales): capacity is presumed, and people must be given support to decide.

In both, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities sets out the right to accessible services and health care, and WCAG 2.2 is the reference standard for websites.

Related on this site

Sources

  • RightsUnited Nations (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 9 (Accessibility) and Article 25 (Health).
  • StandardWorld Wide Web Consortium (2023). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.
  • IrelandEqual Status Acts 2000–2018; Disability Act 2005, Part 3; National Disability Authority, Code of Practice on Accessibility of Public Services and Information Provided by Public Bodies.
  • IrelandIrish Sign Language Act 2017; National Disability Authority, A Brief Summary of the Irish Sign Language Act.
  • IrelandAssisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015.
  • UKEquality Act 2010 (Great Britain); Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Northern Ireland); Mental Capacity Act 2005 (England and Wales).
  • UKNHS England, Accessible Information Standard (DCB1605).
  • UKBritish Sign Language Act 2022, with Explanatory Notes; British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015.
  • Our frameworkThe ten stages, the checks, the tags, the scoring and the action plan are this site’s own, building on Making a Therapy Service Accessible. They haven’t been formally tested.
  • Fictional exampleRóisín and her service are invented for teaching.

Law summaries are this site’s own wording and not legal advice. For every source cited across the site, see Sources and Bibliography.

Last reviewed: November 2026.

How to cite this page: Donaghey, C. (2026). Service Accessibility Audit and Action Plan. Disability in Psychotherapy. Available at: https://disabilityinpsychotherapy.online/for-referrers-and-services/service-accessibility-audit/ (Accessed: [date]).

Shared under CC BY-NC 4.0, with extra permissions for teaching, supervision and therapy. Credit the site. See Reusing This Material.