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[Press Release: October 17th, 2005] Accessibilty for All is Good Business say GreensFollowing an "Accessibility for All Conference" held by the Bray Partnership in the Esplanade Hotel last Tuesday 4th October, the Cathaoirleach of Bray Town Council has called on the business community of Bray to make their premises as accessible as possible to all members of the public.She referred to a survey carried out by the Bray Partnership called "Acessibility in Bray" which examined how accessible public and private buildings in the town are to people with disabilities. The survey revealed that only 50% of buildings in the town are accessible. "This is definitely a situation that needs to improve" says de Burca. "However, there were a number of very enthusiastic members of the business community at last Tuesday’s conference in the Esplanade and they obviously realised that making their premises accessible made good business sense. There are 1,743 disabled people in Bray and 8,833 disabled people in County Wicklow. When you calculate how much their custom is worth, and then add to that the custom of their friends and families, it really makes complete economic sense to ensure that commercial premises are as fully accessible as possible". Green Party councillor, Caroline Burrell, said that the average cost for a business person of making their premises accessible can be as little as 1,000 euros. "The goodwill that this will generate from people with disabilities and their families will certainly guarantee a return on the investment" she says. Cllr Burrell pointed out that the main obstacles to buildings being accessible included inaccessible entrances, lack of signage, and lack of disabled access toilets. "These things make a huge difference to people with disabilities and to others with mobility problems such as elderly people or pregnant mothers. It makes good business sense to remove these obstacles and so encourage business". The Cathaoirleach of Bray Town Council also affirmed Bray Town Council’s commitment to promoting accessibility for all in relation to new developments happening in the town. "Councillors put an objective in our new Town Development Plan for Bray stating that we would set up an Advisory body made up of people with disabilities and their families to advise Bray Town Council on accessibility issues for new developments in the town" says de Burca. "I am making a commitment that we will act on this objective immediately and that people with disabilities will have a say in making sure that new buildings in the town are fully accessible".
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