Last week, as part of our design work with Derby Silk Mill, I attended an Access Consultation to talk through the needs and constraints that many of the Silk Mill target audience have.

The 20 consultees, included those with vision and hearing impairment, those in wheelchairs and members of several minority forums.

We talked through the constraints that the existing Silk Mill already has and how we aim to tackle them, to try and make the whole of the building accessible to all. We also discussed the aims of the project and the stories needing to be told and how this can influence those in minority communities to get involved and be a part of the Silk Mill community.

Overall, it was a really insightful day and I’ve taken away a multitude of ideas to start designing accessibly. At the next stage, we will present these ideas back to the consultation group, in various forms and mediums, so that the group can explore and develop these further. Thank you to everyone who took part!