Disability Awareness & Accessibility in Surrey
Research Project Information Sheet

What is this research about?
Surrey Coalition of Disabled People are a user led charity working to empower Disabled people and those living with a long-term health condition in Surrey to be an active and central part of the community.  
We are doing a peer research project to understand more about the type of challenges faced by Disabled people when accessing businesses and services across Surrey. 
We hope to make a difference by providing Disability Awareness Training where it is most needed, coproduced by those with lived experience. This research will help us to identify what the main issues are, and where we need to target our resources and funding to make the biggest impact.
Who are we trying to speak to?
We are inviting people to take part who are residents of Surrey aged 18+ and living with any form of Disability of long-term health condition. You do not need to be a member of Surrey Coalition to take part in this study. We are looking for a range of people with different experiences. 
What will taking part involve?
If you agree to take part, you will be asked to fill in a short online Survey which will take around 10 minutes to complete. 
There will also be the option for a small number of participants to attend an online focus group to share more information about your experiences. The focus group will last for approximately 1 hour and is entirely optional. 
You can choose to complete the survey on its own if you do not wish to attend the focus group.
Do I have to be involved?
It is completely up to you whether you take part. There will be no impact on any services you receive if you choose not to take part. You can also choose to stop taking part at any time if you change your mind. 
What will happen if I choose to take part in the focus group?
The focus group will take place via zoom and will be held on ??/??/2026 at ??pm-??pm. 
If you would like take part in the focus group, please contact our Involvement Officer, Megan Taylor, to book your place.
Email: megan.taylor@surreycoalition.org.uk
Telephone or SMS: 07454 759684 (weekdays 10am-4pm)
If selected for the focus group, you will be sent the joining instructions via your preferred contact method.  
To ensure that everyone has enough time to share and discuss their experiences we are limiting this focus group to 10 participants. If demand is high, we will consider running a second focus group on a different date. 
Everything discussed in the group will remain confidential and we ask all participants to please refrain from sharing or discussing any information regarding another participants experiences outside of the meeting without their explicit consent. 
What happens if I change my mind about being part of the focus group?
You can change your mind about taking part at any time and do not need to give a reason. If you join the focus group and change your mind part way through, you can exit the meeting at any time and you can ask for none of your data to be included. 
If you take part, and then no longer want your data to be part of the research, if you contact us within 2 weeks we can remove all your information. After this time, your data will be anonymised and grouped together with other peoples, and we will no longer be able to remove your experiences from the data. To do this please contact our Involvement Officer, Megan Taylor: Email: megan.taylor@surreycoalition.org.uk. Telephone or SMS: 07454 759684 (weekdays 10am-4pm).
What data will you collect and what happens to it?
If you are taking part in the Survey, we will ask you a few questions to check that you are eligible to take part. We will also ask for some demographic information to ensure that we include a range of different people in the research, these questions will be optional. 
The survey will then ask questions about the type of disability or health conditions you have. We will also ask about your experiences when accessing or attempting to access various business and services in Surrey over the past 12 months. There will be an option to share more detail about your experiences if you wish. 
The survey will be completely anonymous and confidential. 
For those taking part in the focus group, we will ask you some additional questions about your experiences and what is important to you. This will help us to gain a deeper understanding of your experiences and to develop our Disability Awareness Training resources. 
Will my views be kept confidential?
Yes, all personal information you provide will be kept confidential. We will bring the findings together and look at them without anyone’s names. We will check to ensure that no one can be identified with this information. This anonymous information will be shared in our research report and in other places such as in our Disability Awareness Training materials, website, or social media. 
What will you do with the results of the project?
Anonymous findings will be shared with Surrey Coalition staff and may be used to support future funding applications to enable us to deliver our Disability Awareness Training in more places. We may also share the research report and findings on our website, social media, or newsletter/weekly update. 

What are the possible benefits of taking part? 
By taking part, your views will help us to understand the types of barriers commonly faced in Surrey and identify areas where additional training is most needed so that we can make a positive difference. 
What are the possible disadvantages of being involved?
It is possible that some people may find the topics discussed to be upsetting. We have designed the questions to try and avoid this, and you can skip any questions that you do not wish to answer. We can also signpost you to further support if needed. 
We have a safeguarding policy
We have a safeguarding policy so if you decide to tell us about any harm or risk of harm happening to you or someone else, we will follow our safeguarding procedures. If you would like to discuss our safeguarding policy, please ask us. 
Who do I contact if I have a question or complaint?
If you have any concerns or would like to raise a complaint you can contact Megan via email at megan.taylor@surreycoalition.org.uk or telephone/SMS on 07454 759684 (weekdays 10am-4pm). Alternately you can contact our main office via Telephone: 01483 456558 SMS: 07908671402 or email: info@surreycoalition.org.uk. 
Where can I go for more information or support on this topic?
Free and confidential support is available for anyone who may find this topic upsetting or triggering. 
• Surrey and Borders (SABP) Mental Health Crisis Helpline: 0800 915 4644 or by SMS text: 07717 989 024
• Samaritans - Call 116 123 (free from any phone), 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 
• Safe Havens – Walk-in or virtual support, open 6pm to 11pm . sabp.nhs.uk/our-services/mental-health/safe-havens. Safe Havens are supportive, non-clinical spaces where trained staff are available to help if you're struggling with your mental health.
• 111 - If you call 111, you can select option 2 to access a 24/7 helpline offering urgent mental health support.
• MIND support line - 0300 102 1234. Open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays).
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) They also offer a CALM webchat service.
• SHOUT to 85258 If you would prefer not to talk but want some mental health support, you could text. Shout offers a confidential 24/7 text service providing support if you are in crisis and need immediate help.
• Papyrus HOPELINEUK: 0800 068 4141 (24 hours, 7 days a week), email pat@papyrus-uk.org or text 07786 209 697, people under 35.
• Switchboard. If you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm every day), email chris@switchboard.lgbt or use their webchat service. Phone operators all identify as LGBT+.










*Please keep this information sheet for future reference*