UK-based Direct Access Consultancy has opened its first international office in Dubai, UAE, after winning a contract to turn the city’s Expo 2020 exhibition into an event accessible for all, thanks to support from the Britain’s Department for International Trade (DIT).

Direct Access Consultancy provides accessibility audits to help improve disabled access for buildings and transport systems. Each of the company’s five staff has a disability, giving them advanced insight into the potential challenges facing the 20 million visitors expected to visit Dubai for the first-ever World Expo in the region.

As the event’s ‘universal design consultant’, the business is advising the Expo’s planners on implementing international best practice for accessibility. It is also helping the Expo meet the requirements of Dubai’s Universal Design Code – a policy introduced in 2017 to help improve accessibility across the emirate.