When Post Office means Access All Areas
22 June 2015
An Post has developed a new ‘access all’ counter which enables customers to use the local post office on an equal basis without the need for special provision for those with access issues. The new counter has been installed in ten post offices and will be rolled out across the national network as offices are renovated or new offices open.
The new counter was designed by An Post, for use in all its offices, in conjunction with the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA). The counter contains a number of features which make it more usable for all but especially the mobility impaired.
An Post’s new flagship office in Lucan features the new counter set up, as do offices in Carrigaline, Co. Cork and McCurtain Street in Cork city as well as Carlingford, Co. Louth. The counter has been installed in twelve offices, with plans for a further twenty in the coming months.
Along with the counter design comes plans for single level access to offices and, where possible, designated accessible parking bays. The plan is that the new access arrangement will be part of all new or renovated offices in the future. An Post’s Access Officer, Tomás Ó’Maonaile, who oversaw the development of the access counter says ‘’Customers with a disability do not want positive discrimination, they want to do their business the same as everyone else.’’
Vijoy Chakraborty who is Senior Occupational Therapist with the IWA says ‘’Post offices are the hub of the community across the country so when the initiative is rolled out further, it will have a hugely positive impact on people with disabilities in accessing facilities and making them feel part of the community.’’
In Lucan local IWA members, Jonathan Hennessey and Geraldine Freeman, helped the design process and recently turned up to witness the fruits of their labours. And the counters have also been proving a winner for many of their fellow customers given their sleek design and modern execution.
The new counters are an integral part of An Post’s ongoing investment in its post office network which has seen hundreds of its 1,134 post offices refurbished, relocated and improved over the last year and similar work is planned over coming months.
Offices in which the new counter has been installed:
- Ballyowen, Dublin
- Northside, Dublin
- Bayside, Dublin
- Lorcan Avenue, Dublin (formerly Shantalla Road)
- Knocklyon, Dublin
- Carrigaline, Cork
- Kanturk, Cork
- Drumcollagher, Limerick
- Ballyneatybeg, Limerick
- Carlingford, Louth
- Moville, Donegal
- McCurtain Street, Cork
