The Inclusive Street Works Framework
Ten commitments. One sector. Everyone navigating the streets.
A behaviour-change commitment for the UK street and road works sector, aligned to the HAUC(UK) Vision 2030 and the work of Street Works UK. Signing it means your organisation commits to sites that are safe, clear and usable for blind and partially sighted people, wheelchair users, neurodivergent people, deaf people, older people and everyone else on the street.
Register your interestEmail framework@blindambition.co.uk
Why it matters
Around one in four UK adults are disabled. A site that meets the Safety Code can still be impossible to navigate. The Framework takes organisations beyond compliance, from Awareness to Understanding to Behaviour to Embedded Practice, so the right decisions get made on every site, every day.
It works on the dropped kerb principle. Dropped kerbs were first introduced for veterans returning from war in wheelchairs. Today they help parents with prams, delivery drivers with trolleys and anyone with luggage. Blister paving came later, so blind and partially sighted people know where the footway ends and the road begins. Solve one group’s barrier and everyone benefits.
Street works are no different. A diversion wide enough for a powerchair is wide enough for a buggy. Detectable barriers that guide a long cane user keep a distracted commuter safe too.
“A compliant site can still be impossible to navigate. The Safety Code tells you where to put the cones. This Framework tells you what to do about the people.”
— Seema Flower, Founder and Managing Director, Blind Ambition
The ten commitments
Safety first, for every pedestrian
Continuous, obstacle-free routes and detectable barriers, never tape or cones alone.
Accessible design as the default
Accessibility designed in from the start, not retrofitted after a complaint.
Clear, accessible communication
Plain English, accessible formats and advance notice that everyone can use.
Consistency across every site
Familiar, predictable layouts so disabled people can build mental maps that hold.
Workforce capability
Experiential training, sighted guiding and the Introduce – Ask – Describe – Support framework.
Lived experience at the heart of design
Disabled people involved as expert stakeholders, not consultees.
Accountability and improvement
Accessibility-focused audits and incidents treated with the same rigour as safety.
Innovation that earns its place
New products tested against lived-experience benchmarks.
Sector-wide collaboration
Shared learning through HAUC(UK), Street Works UK, JAG(UK) and devolved equivalents.
Environmentally responsible, sensorily inclusive
Less noise, vibration and disruption, which helps the people most affected.
Who can sign
Highway authorities, utilities, principal contractors and their supply chains, altnets, EV charge point operators, consultancies, professional bodies and any organisation that works in or alongside street works.
| Tier | Suitable for |
|---|---|
| Founding Signatory | Major utilities, principal contractors, large highway authorities, trade associations and sector bodies seeking a leadership role. |
| Member | Mid-size contractors and councils, consultancies, agencies, altnets and suppliers active in the sector. |
| Supporter | Smaller contractors and sole traders, third-sector partners, community groups and individual professional champions. |
| Advocacy Partner | By invitation, for disability and lived-experience organisations and sector co-ordinating bodies that support the Framework in kind. |
Founding cohort: the first 20 organisations to sign have their contribution held at the launch rate for three years. Register your interest and we will send full details of tiers and contributions.
What signatories receive
- The right to display the Framework Signatory mark on websites, vehicles, site signage and tender documents
- A public listing on this page
- Framework materials: the annual booklet, online resource library, fact sheets and quarterly briefings
- Delegate places at regional Framework training events
- An invitation to the annual Framework review, to shape the next version
- Discounted access to Blind Ambition training, lived-experience audits and implementation reviews
Register your interest
It takes about two minutes. Tell us about your organisation and we will be in touch. If you would prefer to talk first, email framework@blindambition.co.uk or call 020 3886 2020. If you need this form in another format, just ask.
Our signatories
Our founding signatories will be listed here. Want your organisation to be among the first? Register your interest.
Product accreditation
Manufacturers and suppliers can have products assessed by our lived-experience panel against published accessibility criteria. This covers ramps, barriers, signage, wayfinding products, low-noise plant and more. Email accreditation@blindambition.co.uk.
About the Framework
The Framework is hosted by Blind Ambition Community, a non-profit set up to advance disability inclusion in the UK street and road works sector, in partnership with Blind Ambition Ltd. Blind Ambition is led by Seema Flower, who has been registered blind since the age of nine. She is a member of HAUC(UK), an affiliate member of Street Works UK and winner of the Department for Transport’s Outstanding Contribution Award 2026.