Nimbus Disability, the company behind Access Card, has been awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
The company is run by disabled people to help others have better access to entertainment venues and attractions.
It has been recognised in the Innovation category of the Queen’s Awards, for its work on the Access Card which informs of the holder’s disability or impairment and access requirements. The card does this through symbols highlighting the barriers when attending an entertainment venue.
Each symbol on the card is based on a person’s individual rights under the Equality Act and how a service provider or operator has the legal responsibility to make adjustments to allow all to enjoy entertainment. The cards are discreet and eliminate the potential embarrassment of having to explain certain needs.
The card is recognised by a number of major venues across the UK including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, The London Eye, The O2 and Alton Towers. Attractions and venues abroad also include The Louvre in Paris and Willis Tower in Chicago.
We have news!
We’ve officially been awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category!!
The Queens Award is the highest official UK award for British businesses: a great recognition of the #accesscard for #disabledpeople and the team!https://t.co/BnktMT1EJJ pic.twitter.com/CCZkNv6D2O
— Access Card (@AccessCard) April 21, 2022
The card’s information has also been linked to some company’s computer ticketing systems, including Ticket Factory, which makes the process of purchasing tickets for disabled people easier.
Nimbus has just four members of staff including Martin Austin MBE, who is the managing director and the winner of the Outstanding Contribution award at the most recent TheTicketingBusiness Awards.
Austin said: “It’s not been an easy journey but I can honestly say it’s been an exciting one for me, my colleague Greg Johnson, who has grown with the scheme and is now our lead decision-maker, and our ever-expanding team.
“The award is also recognition for all those who have supported us. As I have told the team, we stand on the shoulders of giants – pioneers who have paved the way to allow for this kind of innovation to even exist let alone thrive.
“The award is an overwhelmingly welcome signal of recognition but it is not by any means punctuation in our development.”
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of innovation, international trade, sustainable development, and promoting opportunity through social mobility.