Access Statement for Abbey Guest House
Abingdon,
Last updated:
4th January 2012
|
Contact Us Website: www.abbeyguest.com Email: info@abbeyguest.com - usually
checked 5 or more time per day / evening Telephone, Fax and Ansaphone: +44 (0) 1235 537020 Calls using Text Relay, 18001 the Contents: - 1.
Access Summary and Floor Plans 2.
Physical Layout 3.
Latest News, Feedback and Future Plans 4.
Communication 5.
Locating Us and Getting Here 6.
Diet, Allergy Mobility, Sensory and Medical
Issues 7.
Information and Formats 8.
Car Park to Front Door and Reception 9.
Guest Rooms and Shared Facilities 10. ‘Easy
Access’ and ‘Allergy Friendly’ Bedrooms 11. Nearest
Shops and Pubs 12. Transport
Options 13. Emergencies
/ Exit / Assistance |
Access For All
|
1 – Access
Summary and Floor Plans
1a - Access Summary
Abbey Guest House is a quiet, 7 en-suite bedroom, non-smoking,
B&B Guest House converted from a 1970’s private house. Starting in 2006, it has now become one of
the most accessible small B&B’s in the country. It has won many Awards, gained National
Accessible System ‘standards’ in 2007 and 2009 and, most importantly, gained
increasingly complimentary reviews by disabled guests, from across the
Globe.
Abbey Guest House is now committed
to providing access for all through ‘Inclusive Design’ and commitment to the ‘Social
Model of Disability’.
The full Access Statement is necessarily very wordy,
so some significant results are listed here in this Access Summary.
Some Modifications
and Buildings Works have included: -
·
Visitor parking
within 12 metres of front door is level and hard surfaced
·
Large ‘Blue Badge’
parking bay, which allows use of converted vehicles including those with rear
and side ramped access.
·
Ramp at front
door – maximum of 1 in 14 slope
·
Ground Floor ‘Easy
Access’ bedroom – Room 1 used by many full-time wheelchair users
·
Room 1 - Full en-suite
wet room to Part M layout including tonally contrasted grab rails
·
‘Allergy
Friendly’ bedroom with washable furnishings, hardwood flooring and daily vacuuming
Typical Auxiliary Aids available to guests:
·
Deafgard, vibrating and strobe light alarm and Dorgard’ door stops
·
Portable table hearing
loops and TV neck loop
·
Bed rails, Travel
cot, high chair and baby feeding utensils
·
Thick handled cutlery
·
Camera-based text
magnifier,
·
Tonally contrasted
feature walls and light switches in bedrooms
·
Shower wheelchair
for wet room
·
Information
Folder in all Bedrooms and Large print copy always in Lounge
·
Tonally
contrasted colour scheme for feature walls, bed linen and carpets
·
Varied diets like
Coeliac and Dairy free catered for as well as Halal and Vegan
·
Braille labels
and Braille labeller to hand
Flexible and Responsive:
·
A choice of Single,
Twin, Double, Triple and Four bedded rooms possible
·
Furniture easily
moved around, taken away or added rooms to match requirements
·
All information can
be made available in choice of formats e.g. Large print, Braille and HTML
·
Cater for varied
diets and wide choice of breakfast food items available/with notice
·
Extra time and
consideration can be offered to assist guests with impairments.
·
Limited personal
support / carer assistance possible by arrangement
·
Local Mobility
Matters supplier able to sell, hire out, service, and repair equipment fast
e.g. room hoists
Awards received:
·
Trip Advisor - Awarded us 5 out of 5 by in 2011, with score based upon
Guest feedback comments; many specifically referring to the accessibility of
the Guest House.
·
Tourism South East - Access for All Awards: Gold Winner in 2009. Silver Winner in 2011.
·
Enjoy
·
Vale Disability Access Group - Abingdon Access Award 2009
Our Disabled Guests have
included:
·
Incomplete paraplegic double amputee from
·
Mobility scooter user holidaying from
·
A German group with learning and physical impairments, and their carers
·
Profoundly deaf lady from
·
Gentleman with his Hearing Assistance Dog from
·
Persons with dietary requirements including Vegan, Halal, Coeliac and
Dairy-free.
·
Non weight bearing wheelchair users from
1b - Floor Plans
Location of Guest Bedrooms on First
Floor – not to scale
2 - Physical
Layout
2a - Interior
The Guest House was built as a private home in the
1970’s and has a Car Park frontage and rear garden lawn and patio. Inside are two floors, one at ground level
and the first floor above.
Ground Floor
Front door (with vision panels) direct from car
park leads into hallway where guest umbrellas, Transport timetables, Local Visitor
Information and indexed street map of Abingdon are available. Leading off the hall is:
· Easy Access - Room 1: twin
Bedroom and wet room with tonally contrasted grab rails
· Door with vision panels
into Lounge / breakfast room with reception, guest self-dining facilities, hardback
library and Tourist Information
· Kitchen and access to
Private accommodation area
· Flight of stairs to first
floor.
· Visitor toilet
Stairs to
First Floor
Eight steps, with left handrail, to landing with feature
window providing plenty of daylight.
Another seven steps with right handrail reaches
First Floor.
First Floor
· Choice of 6 bedrooms all with
en-suite shower-rooms.
· ‘Allergy Friendly’ – Room 6
double bedroom.
· Separate guest bathroom
· Paperback library.
Future plans: for a lift between floors is part of an
expansion project for Abbey Guest House.
2b – Front
and
This is now the car parking with bordering trees,
shrubs, flower tubs and hanging baskets.
The rear garden is reached through a solid gate at
the front of house along an 84cm wide concrete path extending 7 metres to the lawn. The firm surfaced lawn then sweeps around rising
11cm over 12 metres to the level of the patio which is surfaced with concrete
slabs.
A garden table has clearance below of 68cm and the
garden chairs have arm supports.
The garden is fully enclosed by fence and hedges
and allows secure storage of items like cycles or mobility scooters. The gate is normally kept securely locked and
garden visually isolated from public areas and fully overlooked from the Guest
House.
Stepped access from the Breakfast room includes an18cm
and 8cm step. Expansion plans will see
the removal of all steps and addition of solid path surfacing.
3 - Latest
News, Feedback and Future Plans
3a - Latest
News
Returning guests will
notice recent improvements including: -
· Hardwood flooring
throughout Entrance hallway and Lounge/Breakfast room
· Electric adjustable beds
and Shower wheelchair for the Room 1 -Easy Access Bedroom
· Additional – ‘Allergy
Friendly’ double en-suite bedroom – Room 6
· Additional small single
en-suite guest – Room 7
· Additional floor space in
the Lounge/Breakfast room and a new reception point
· Food hygiene ‘Scores on the
Doors’ rating of 4 out of 5
· ‘Dorgard’
door stops that automatically release when smoke alarms are activated
· Extensive reference menus
from local restaurants and take outs.
· Increased Local Visitor Information
· Comprehensive Bus timetables
around Abingdon, to
· Print out facility for the
very latest train timetables
New Facilities include: -
·
Greater use of internationally understood pictograms
·
Simplified signs throughout
· Route Guides to nearest
shops and facilities explaining dropped or lowered kerb options
· New breakfast table with
clear space between legs of 69cm
· Flat blade door lock latch
in Easy Access Bedroom - Room 1
· Deafgard
alarm with vibration, strobe and text confirmation
· Toy corner, along with
travel cot, high chair, plastic utensils and push chair storage
· Guest Library of over 450
paperbacks and 250 Readers Digest condensed novels
· Comprehensive range of
electric plug adapters for overseas guests
· Luggage Scales to check weights
before airport check-in
· Range of thicker handled
cutlery that many find easier to hold
· Simpler layout to the
Access Statement with less repetition
3b - Feedback
Please
do not hesitate to comment about barriers of a physical, sensory or cognitive
nature as we welcome all questions, requests and feedback to help us improve
our welcome to guests.
3c - Future
Plans
Planning
permission has just been obtained to extend Abbey Guest House to include: -
·
Extend lounge and guest breakfasting area
·
Remove threshold to patio as well as all garden steps
·
Installation of a lift between the floors
·
Add full wet room to another bedroom
·
More colourful and scented plantings around the car park and garden
4 - Communication
All guests are met
individually and given an escorted tour of their Bedroom and the shared
facilities at Abbey Guest House.
Language
English is used throughout and we can accept,
email, fax, handwriting, type.
A paper pad and pen is always kept to hand for
guests who prefer not to use speech.
Paperwork
All paperwork is presented to guests on a clipboard
to aid handling.
Telephones
All mobile (cellular) phone services
can be received in all rooms including T-Mobile,
Important
or emergency calls can be dialled on behalf of guests, using a cordless
telephone in the breakfast room / lounge or hallway.
Internet Access, WIFI and
Skype
FREE
WIFI internet access is available in all rooms.
Guests can also use a PC in the lounge, which also has Skype , Internet Explorer and
MS Office loaded. Headsets are not
provided for hygiene reasons but guests may connect their own.
Pictograms
Pictograms are used on: exit routes, portable
hearing induction loops, breakfast selection, Reception/Payments and
identifying grouped types of Visitor information like Bus Timetables, Places to
eat, Abingdon attractions and promotional leaflets for the wider region.
Braille
Braille is used on essential internal room switches in the ‘Easy Access’
bedroom and to identify all cereals in breakfast room and juices in guest
fridge.
Braille labels can be
requested in advance as we have label printer supplied by the Royal National
institute for the Blind.
Raised / Engraved Lettering
/ Numerals
Outside the House number 136 is engraved into slate
at the car park entrance pillars and is repeated with raised brass numerals on
wooden block at front door.
Inside the bedroom door numbers are large raised
brass numerals on white background.
5 - Locating
Us and Getting Here
5a - Locate
Us
Abingdon
town is in central southern England, some 6 miles south west of the
University town of Oxford and 50 miles west North West of London.
Abbey Guest House is
located in the northern part of Abingdon, along the west side of
Our
region is governed by Oxfordshire County
Council and more locally by the Vale
of White Horse District Council, and bordered by South Oxfordshire District Council to the
immediate East and South of Abingdon.
Click
the Abingdon map to find us on Streetmap with its’ range of different scale
maps.
5b - Getting Here (see also Transport Options)
Click on RAC Route Planner for road
distances, travel times and directional guidance /maps.
Programming your Vehicle
Sat Nav
Town: Abingdon
Road:
Number: 136
Post Code: OX14 2AG
Latitude: 051° 41'
06.53” N
Longitude: 001° 16’
23.85” W
6 - Diet,
Allergy, Mobility, Sensory and Medical Issues
Bullet
point lists the key features and equipment follow. Feel free to request further information and
always just indicate your wish to use any of the aids mentioned, if they are
not already to hand.
6a - Dietary
Issues
· Vegetarian food items are
always available for breakfast
· Other diets are best
notified in advance and all reasonable requests can usually be met
· Food Hygiene - ‘Scores
on the Doors’ Rating of 4 stars out possible 5
6b - Allergy Issues
·
No Smoking throughout
·
All bedding used is Hyper allergenic
·
All linen and towels washed with non-biological detergent
·
Hardwood flooring in the Hallway, Lounge/Breakfast room, and ‘Allergy
Friendly’ Room 6
·
Carpets are vacuumed each day
·
Normally dogs are only allowed if they are fully trained Assistance,
Hearing or Guide dogs
6c - Physical
Mobility Issues
· See further detailed
information under Car Park and Easy Access Bedroom and Wet Room
· Easy Access Ground floor
bedroom with en-suite wet room
Critical Dimensions – Gaps,
Widths, Turning Circles and Distances
These
have been measured for clear usable gap width, surface width or turning
circles. The measurements are given in
centimetres (cm) and metres (100 cm).
2.4 centimetres equals one inch.
See also the ‘Plan of Guest Areas on Ground Floor’
showing many key measurements
·
Path width from car park to rear garden lawn is 84cm and 7 metres long
·
Landing outside front door: 86cm
deep behind pillars or 117cm deep between the pillars
·
All thresholds and doormats are flush with floor level including at the
front door
·
The narrowest gap through any doorway is 76cm
·
19cm manoeuvring width to opening side of front doors and Easy Access
bedroom door
·
142cm turning circle in ‘Easy Access’ bedroom
·
140cm turning circle in ‘East Access’ wet room
·
120cm turning circle in Hallway
·
150cm turning circle available in Lounge / Breakfast room
·
Gap in front of toilet to reach wash basin is 54cm in Easy Access Wet
Room
6d - Sensory Issues
Assistance, Hearing and
Guide Dogs
·
Fully trained Assistance, Hearing or Guide Dogs are always welcome with
their owners. The rear garden is
completely fenced in for security and suitable feeding and drinking bowls are
available.
·
Other dogs are generally only allowed by special arrangement to limit
any allergy issues
·
Dogs can be exercised along the service road or in the local parks with
dog areas.
·
All owners will be expected to clean up after their dog with a plastic
bag
Hearing and Acoustic Issues
·
Mobile induction
loops for hearing aid users with a ‘T’ – switch at reception and in lounge
·
A neck induction loop
that connects to the TV/DVD in any Guest bedroom
·
Deafgard with vibrating, strobe and text alert action for alarm
clock and smoke alarm
·
Paper pad, pen and clipboard constantly
available at the Reception counter
·
Willingness to
converse via fax or email.
· Abbey Guest House is very
quiet, being set back some 30 metres from the
· Conifer hedge around the
car park acts as a further acoustic screen
· Family sized rooms with
standard ceiling heights and all windows double glazed
· Soft furnishings dampen any
echo’s of the walls
· Background music plays
gently in the lounge / breakfast room but can be turned off
· Experience suggests
conversations are not hampered by acoustic noises or reflections
Vision and Lighting Issues
· Large print information
folder is always available in Breakfast / Lounge
· All exterior signs are high
contrast and illuminated automatically through the night
·
There are no glass screens to look through at reception or elsewhere
· Key switches and items labelled with either a large
font or a Braille label, sometimes both
· Camera based text magnifier
for use with guest bedroom TV screens or a computer screen
· Access Statement and Information
Folder available in various sized print fonts
·
Computer file formats to enable use of screen reader and speech
synthesis software
· Camera text magnifier that
links to any guest bedroom TV screen or a computer screen
· All entrance doors have
small glass panels in upper half.
Colour Schemes and Tonal
Contrasts
· Bedrooms have gold carpets,
white ceilings and cream walls with one dark red feature wall
· Bedside tables are birch with contrast dark green or
dark grey glass surfaces
· ‘Easy Access’ wet room with high contrast dark
blue and blue features against white walls
· Bedroom light switches are white with contrasting dark
green fingerplate background
· The hallway has hardwood flooring, dark cream walls
and white ceilings
· Stairs and first floor
corridor have Red carpet, cream walls
and white ceilings
· The doors are white with contrasting
brass handles
· Bedroom furniture is birch
contrasting against white walls.
· Bed linen is cream with a
red and green poppy pattern with dark red valance.
· Arm chairs are white with
contrasting dark red cushions/arm protectors
Lighting
· The hallway has a
chandelier and down-lighters
·
The lounge/ breakfast room has ceiling pendants lights, wall picture
lights, a table lamp and a floor standard lamp and benefits from natural
daylight from the 350cm wide patio doors
· The stairway and upstairs
landing has down-lighters and benefits from natural daylight from a 250cm high
by 130cm wide feature window
· All bedrooms have large
windows supplying plenty of natural daylight
· Guest bedrooms have ceiling
pendant lamps and either wall mounted bedside lights or individual bedside
table lamps
· En-suite bathrooms and wet
room have down-lighters and most have natural daylight
· All have shaver points and
lights over the wash basin mirrors
·
No spot lights or windows face into guests eyes in the hallway /
reception area
6e - Mobility and Medical
Equipment Loan
The
Red Cross offers a Medical Loan Service in Abingdon. They are based at Red Cross House,
Mobility and Medical
Equipment Repair and Purchase
Joncare is an Abingdon company that can arrange a
comprehensive range of equipment repairs and purchase as required. Also, temporary free loans whilst items are
repaired. Their Mobility Matters Independent Living Showroom is located at
Carer Support
Bedrooms
1 and 3 have twin beds. See Floor Plans
for location
Proprietor
(Terry) is able to offer a limited amount of individual assistance. She has
over 40 years experience of first aid and care obtained as a member of St John
Ambulance if you wish to bring a carer / support person with you. None of the rooms have connecting doors.
7 -
Information and Formats
Abbey Guest House information is structured for
formatting in many ways and reading by software like Screen Readers.
By Default we provide:
· A 12 point Arial copy of
the Full Access Statement and Guest Information Folder in every Bedroom. A 16 point Arial copy is kept in the lounge.
· Between 16 and 20 point
Arial for important notices, dependant upon viewing distance.
· Other font sizes and
formats are produced by request.
The hallway has an information display holding a
large range of printed information leaflets from a range of transport and local
attraction operators.
The Lounge has information leaflets from Tourist
operators across the region
There is a folder of reference menus for Abingdon
eateries and some in
Bus Timetables
Latest bus timetables are always available for the buses
passing through Abingdon or linking to
Train Timetables
Train timetables change so often, we will printed
off latest copy from the relevant Train Company website, when you stay as a
Guest.
Abbey Guest House Information
folder
A copy kept in every guest bedroom and a large
print copy in the breakfast room / lounge.
The folder is split into several sections including: -
· The Guest House itself
· Nearest facilities and
services to Abbey Guest House
· Visiting Abingdon or
8 – Car Park
to Front Door and Reception
A large white sign with black text ‘Abbey Guest
House’ sign identifies us at the entrance to car park from the parallel service
road, 3 metres distant or the A4183 Oxford Road 21 metre distant.
There is a standard bell push button to left of front
door and all guests are met here on arrival.
8a - Car Park
The
level parking area is surfaced in dark red brick paviers, with 6 bays are
marked out with single dark grey brick lines and a 218cm wide pathway marked to
keep access to the ramped path clear of vehicles. The maximum distance from any point to the
front door is 12 metres.
One
wide and longer bay is identified by a Blue Badge symbol to reserve this bay
and 218cm wide access path to base of ramp at front door. There is 120cm space to both sides of a car,
300cm for rear ramped access and 600cm plus for side access ramped vehicles
e.g. Chrysler Voyager MPV.
The
service road outside the car park has access in both directions and some
kerbside parking. Persons using larger
vehicles or towing a trailer (Mobility Scooter?) may find this convenient, as
no reversing or manoeuvring in the car park is required. The distance to front door is then around 25
metres.
Abbey Guest House and 136 are written in very large
black letters on a white background above the porch. The words are automatically illuminated at
night.
A
single 13cm high step up to a 117cm depth landing, assisted by white coloured
handrails either side leads from the car park level to the front door and the
Guest House floor level
A
ramped approach alternative is adjacent, with a white coloured handrail to the
left side only. The ramp has a 1 in 14
slope; up to a level turning platform for a right turn. Then up again to the level platform in front
of the door through an 87cm gap between white columns. The total ramped length
is some 3 metres.
8b - Front Door
The white painted front door is bordered by these
white columns. An illuminated raised
push button bell and raised brass 136 numerals are to the left side of the
door. These are automatically illuminated
by a light on the wall above and the down-lighter in the porch canopy above.
Going
through the front door from the ramp requires a sharp left turn through the
door gap of 76cm.
The
door threshold has been removed and the access is now completely flush through
both the outer and inner porch doorways. The doorway mat is also recessed flush
with the floor.
8c - Reception
The
hallway inside leads direct to the guest lounge ahead with Reception hatch
located immediately on right side. Here
is a small counter and draw down hatch closure.
9 - Guest Rooms
and Shared Facilities
Doorway opening and closing
·
All doors are manually opened and hinged excepting the patio door which
is sliding.
·
The outer front door has a very gentle closing action, through use of
rising butt hinges.
·
The inner front door, guest bedrooms and all internal fire doors now all
have tension door closers to comply with fire regulations.
·
Both the inner front and ‘Easy Access’ room doors have a ‘Dorgard’
door stop fitted.
·
If the smoke alarm activates, the ‘Dorgard’
releases the door, allowing it to close.
Room Keys
Additional
keys are available, as is an enlarged room key adaptor available to help cope
with finger dexterity issues.
Room
keys are individual to each room but they all lock and unlock the outer front
door. Room numbers are etched into the key tags, as is the B&B emergency
contact number.
Room
/ front door keys are retained by guests during the length of their stay
thereby enabling them to have access at all times.
No Smoking
A
no smoking policy is enforced. Any
guest found smoking will be asked to leave immediately, with no refund and an
additional £200 charge levied to clean the room and all linen.
9a - Guest Bedrooms
Guests
are encouraged to vacate their rooms during the central part of the day to
enable room servicing and cleaning to be undertaken as well as allowing any
maintenance work to be carried out.
Additional
information about our ‘Easy Access’ and ‘Allergy Friendly’ Bedrooms follows the
information applying to all other rooms.
Standard equipment provided
in every bedroom includes: -
· Temperature controllable
radiator thermostats
· Freeview digital TV with
DVD player
· Iron and ironing board
· Hairdryer
· Small personal security
safe
· Kettle and hot drink
facilities
· Bedside radio/alarm clock
· Coat hangers in wardrobe
· Full length and table top
mirrors
· Desk lamps and bedside
lights
· Luggage stand
No
bedroom telephones are provided but emergency telephone calls be arranged in
the lounge.
Mobile
phone reception appears good throughout the guest house for all mobile
networks.
A
bedrail can be requested by any guest, in any room, wishing this reassurance.
Also
the full range of aids e.g. Deafgard, camera magnifier or hearing induction
loop for TV.
Guest En-suite Shower Rooms
· All have shower cubicles,
wash basins, toilets, mirrors, shaver points and tiled floors.
· All have wall mounted range
of dispensers for soap and shower gel as well as sanitary bags.
·
Individual items can be supplied for guests having difficulty using
these dispensers
A separate bathroom, containing just a bath, is
available for guests on the first floor.
9b - Shared Facilities
Lounge / Breakfast Room
· Wide glass windows patio
doors look out over the patio and lawn in the rear garden
· Room has two large dining
tables and chairs, lounge seating, radio and guest desktop PC
· Breakfast is served in this
room and the tables and seating arranged to suit staying guests and any
staggered breakfast times
· Wheelchair users can ask
for location that best suits their access and turning circle needs
· A breakfast menu order tick
sheet is available in the lounge
· Guests can choose breakfast
menu on a self-selection tick list the evening before and return to Terry or
leave on the breakfast table
· All cooked food and hot
drinks are delivered to each seating place
· Thicker handled cutlery is
always available
· Cold breakfast items,
tabletop fridge for yoghurts and juices kept on a 89cm high sideboard
· The room also has a small
area with a microwave, crockery and cutlery for guest use
Fridge / Freezer
A
fridge for guest use is always available in the breakfast room. By arrangement, fridge and freezer space is
available in the kitchen, but no responsibility can be taken for any item held.
Ground Floor
Cloakroom
Cloakroom with toilet and hand basin to the left of
Room 1
Library
Staying
guests have access to some 450 paperbacks and 250 Readers Digest bound volumes
of condensed novels.
Trouser Press
There
is a trouser press available for guest use.
Laundry
There
is a pay Laundromat, with ‘
10 - ‘Easy Access’ and
‘Allergy Friendly’ Bedrooms
10a - ‘Easy Access’ Bedroom
– Room 1
All
items as listed under Guest Bedrooms apply to this room.
Additionally,
this bedroom is the only one at ground level. It has thus been fitted with a
number of features to enable users much enhanced independent access, including
a wet room.
For
all practical purposes this is a room accessible to the majority of wheelchair
users, including non-weight bearing persons and as such, has been used by many
in comfort and with dignity.
However
some dimensions do not meet current full accessibility requirements, as this
was a conversion of a room within existing structural load bearing walls on all
sides. Please check in advance that the
critical measurements will meet your requirements.
The
two main pinch points to bear in mind are believed to be the initial turn into
the bedroom and the direct front approach to the wash basin in the en-suite wet
room.
Photographs
are available of all aspects of this bedroom and wet room as well as the
description provided. Please ask for
more details or contact to discuss as required.
Additional features of Easy
Access Bedroom: -
· Two electric adjustable
single beds
· All key light switches
lowered and reachable whilst lying in bed
· Higher electric socket
points including reachable whilst lying in bed
· Red cord for emergency /
assistance call to Guest House owner (plus cancel switch)
· Full floor to head height
wall mirror faces guest as they leave room
· Both wardrobe doors hung
for easy access from the one approach side
·
Additional small oil-filled electric radiator for use by guests if
required
· Option to add or remove
chairs and luggage stand as requested
·
Option to store luggage bags and suitcases outside room to create more
space
10b - Key features of Wet
Room for Room 1
·
Overall dimensions of 224cm by 140cm with window set behind toilet
·
Access by left turn from bedroom corridor of 86cm width through 90cm
doorway width
· Full wet room with blue
stippled non-slip flooring and high contrast dark blue grab rails
· White tiles with blue tile
décor horizontal line
·
A shower wheelchair is available by request, as it is stored outside of
the room
· Red cord for emergency / assistance
call to Guest House owner (plus cancel switch)
·
Space for left-hand transfer to toilet and right-hand transfer to a shower
seat
·
·
Both high fixed head shower or a lower hand held flexible shower hose
·
Mirror above wash basin between 87cm and 157cm height
· Alternative individual
items for guests having difficulty using wall mounted dispensers
·
A wheeled glass trolley and several wall mounted storage baskets
·
Hoists can be hired if notified in advance. They are available from the local stockist
10c - The Easy Access
Bedroom and Wet Room in More Detail
For
a wheelchair user, the two most limiting gaps are believed to be: -
·
Immediate left turn going into the ‘Easy Access’ Bedroom
·
Approach to the wash basin in the en-suite wet room
Entering
the bedroom involves passing through the doorway gap of 76cm followed by an
immediate left turn required into a bedroom corridor of 86cm width.
In
the wet room, the gap between toilet and radiator on wall opposite is 54cm,
affecting front approach to the wash basin.
Many guests can reach across the short distance from their wheelchair to
the wash basin, particularly if wheelchairs legs have been removed. This wash basin is however immediately adjacent
and usable by any guest sitting on the toilet.
Bedroom
light switch immediately on left side at 115cm height. The door into wet room is immediately on
right side. Door is hinged on right and
opens outward into corridor, so access is best achieved after entering further
into room, using clear turning circle area and returning to this point.
Next
on the right, the room width widens to accommodate the nearest bedside cabinet
and the first single electric adjustable bed on the far side of that. The two
drawer bedside cabinet is 48cm deep to wall and 40cm wide and holds a radio /
alarm clock.
Room
and wall light switches are reachable whilst lying in the bed as they, and two
electric sockets, are located on the wall above the cabinet.
Besides
this cabinet is also a red coloured pull cord to activate an audible alarm call
to the Guest House owner. If activated in error, the re-set switch is situated
by Bedroom door at 180cm height.
Beyond
the cabinet is the widest part of the room, giving an unobstructed turning
circle of 142cm between the bed and the heating radiator opposite.
A
second electric adjustable single bed then extends from this first bed with the
head of the bed meeting the outer room wall with window above.
Two
light switches reachable whilst lying in the bed to the right of the users
head, operate the nearest wall lights and ceiling lights.
Two
electric sockets are located on the wall above a two drawer bedside cabinet
that is 40cm wide and 48cm deep.
To
the left and facing this cabinet is the wardrobe. Both wardrobe doors hinge on the far side and
open away from the rest of the room.
This allows unrestricted access from between the bed and the wardrobe
where the space is 116cm wide.
Adjacent
to the left side of the wardrobe is a wall anchored table of 80cm maximum width
and 37cm deep to wall and 74cm clearance underneath. This table supports the tea making
facilities.
There
are two electric sockets underneath table and a mirror just above, between 85cm
and 145cm height.
A
seat, with or without arm rests, is available for the room or can be removed completely.
10d - ‘Allergy Friendly’
Bedroom (Key Features) – Room 6
All
items listed under Guest bedrooms apply to this room excepting: -
·
The room has hardwood flooring instead of carpet
·
Fittings and furnishings are fully washable
11 - Nearest
Shops and Pubs
The
nearest shops are 550 metres from Abbey Guest House. There are others about 1km away further down
Full
inclusive access details are kept at the guest house.
11a –
Turn
right out of Abbey Guest House car park and head southward along
A
separate Martin’s Newsagent has a single high-step access.
The
nearest pub is the Boundary House, opposite
11b –
Staying
on
Further
south again is a specialist Cycle sales and repair shop, Londis convenience
store and BP Petrol station with small store – all on the original (West) side
of the Oxford road as Abbey Guest House.
These are around 1.5 km from Abbey Guest House.
11c - Peachcroft
Peachcroft
has a range of shops, including Budgens, Blockbuster video hire, Lloyd’s
chemist, Motor spares, etc. The route is
not so direct, so please ask for guidance as it is not too complicated to be
directed there.
12 - Transport
Options
12a - Trains
The
small rail station at Radley is 2 miles away by road. It is not staffed, has no toilet and only the
northbound (towards
Much
larger Rail Stations are 6 miles away at
Please
check these details with railway station operators First Great Western
directly, along with the latest situation on accessibility. In the
12b - Buses
Bus
services are excellent and buses to
Both
·
X2 service from and to Didcot
train station
·
X3 service from and to
The
bus stop nearest to Abbey Guest House is named “
The
North bound stop (towards
To
demonstrate the range and frequency of bus travel options available, some old
timetable leaflets have been scanned and can be viewed on the website version. Please note that those scanned are now well
out of date and have been deliberately chosen.
Ensure you always seek the very latest information from: bus company
websites, phone lines or latest timetable leaflets at Abbey Guest House or at
the nearby bus stops.
Main Bus Operators and
Current Timetables
Click
on the company name to go to current bus timetables for our area.
Oxford Bus Company, Freepost OF336,
Customer Services - 01865 785 400
info@oxford.co.uk www.oxfordbus.co.uk
Heyfordian Travel,
Tel: +44 (0)1869 241 500 Fax: +44 (0)1869 360 011
Thames Travel,
(Wallingford) Ltd, Wyndham House, Lester Way, Hithercroft Industrial Estate,
Wallingford, OXON, OX10 9TD Tel:
01491 837988 Fax: 01491 838562
email: office@thames-travel.co.uk,
(we will respond to your email as soon as we can.)
Stagecoach
services in Oxfordshire are more
difficult to view as you need to know the destination or service numbers to get
information out of their web site.
oxford.enquiries@stagecoachbus.com www.stagecoachbus.com/oxfordshire
12c - Taxis
Abingdon
has many taxi companies and one company, Vargas Taxis, currently operates at
least 9 Metrocabs – a taxi designed and built to offer transport to wheelchair
users remaining in their chair. Vargas Taxis Tel: 01235 559 606
12d - Cycling
Abbey
Guest House rear garden provides secure under cover storage for guests cycles.
Oxfordshire
has an enviable network of cycle lanes, cycle paths that link the towns,
villages and countryside. National Cycle
Route no 5 passes through Abingdon and links to other national and major routes
through Oxfordshire. Click here to
visit the Sustrans
Oxfordshire page.
12e - Walking
Mobility
Scooters can be securely stored under cover in the rear Garden
All
local roads have vehicle free footways alongside and the majority of routes
have dropped or lowered kerbs along them enabling wheelchair and mobility
vehicle access.
Abingdon
town centre is about 2 km from Abbey Guest House.
The Thames Path National
Trail passes through Abingdon and is used by keen long distance walkers,
local residents and, by permissive agreement, cyclists.
Gates
are always found on public bridleways sometimes on those footpaths closest to
the town. Further afield, stiles can be
frequent on countryside footpaths and a total hindrance to most people.
Oxfordshire
County Council is responsible for managing
local Public Rights of Way including footpaths and bridleways and should be
best placed to answer questions about inclusive access through the local
countryside.
12f - Shopmobility
This
is a mobility scooter, plus manual and electric wheelchair loan service for use
in the main shopping centre of
Oxford
Shopmobility
Level 1A, Westgate Multi-storey Car Park,
Office: 01865 248 737
Fax: 01865 249 536
Email: a.francis@oxford.gov.uk
13 - Emergencies
/ Fire Exit / Assistance
Audible
smoke alarms are fitted in all rooms of Abbey Guest House. A Deafgard
vibrating pad and strobe light alarm is available for use by any profoundly
deaf or heard of hearing guest in any bedroom.
The
main front door entrance is the most accessible exit and closest to all
bedrooms in time of emergency. The Fire
Assembly Point for guests is the front car park in the shelter of the conifer
hedge.
Emergency
red coloured pull cords with round toggles are fixed in the ‘Easy Access’
suite. One is beside toilet in the wet
room and the other by the bed nearest the wet room. If pulled downward, these activate an audible
alarm in the hallway. Terry will respond.
If
pulled by mistake the re-set button is on the wall by the top of the bedroom
entrance door at 180 cm height.
A
rear emergency escape route option via the rear garden is also available. This does involve crossing a 6cm door
threshold with an 18cm drop and then going down two steps of 8cm and 11cm.
Terry is usually available to assist guests escape through this route, should
it be necessary, as she lives on site in the ground floor private area.
Note:
It is planned to remove this threshold within a planned extension in the near
future.
First Aid Kit
For
the very simplest of injuries, we have a first aid kit at the Guest House with
small bandages, plasters etc.
Minor Injuries Unit
The
nearest local hospital with minor injuries unit is the
Full Accident and Emergency
Unit
The
nearest full Accident and Emergency unit is at the