When you visit the Vassall Centre, you will notice a change that has taken place over the past two years. Gone are the quiet corridors and siloed offices; the Centre is now a hubbub of energy, people from different organisations are more likely to be greeting each other and working together, and the corridors throng with people from all walks of life.
If you sit in the café, you’ll likely be sat next to members of the Centre for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing People who converse animatedly in sign language. As you walk to your meeting, the corridor is full of mouth-watering wafts of chocolate, as learning-disabled adults bake delectable cakes for the café, also owned and run by them. And if you’re a wheelchair user, you can expect step-free access, clearly marked, accessible parking spaces, and facilities designed to support your comfort and independence.
Today is International Day of the Disabled Person and the theme for 2025 is fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress. Because a society thrives only when it is genuinely inclusive – when those who face barriers are able to participate, contribute, and flourish. When we support and include people who experience barriers, we strengthen society’s richness, integrity, and shared progress. The sum of the parts is larger than the whole.
The Vassall Centre has long been committed to being barrier-free: in the mid-1990s, Sue McMullen, a local retired social worker, who had been physically disabled by Polio, saved the building from demolition. She launched a campaign which prevented the site being used for luxury homes and dedicated herself to making the Centre an accessible community venue.
Today, as the current custodian of the Vassall Centre, Bristol Charities is asking itself: What does “barrier-free” really mean? A ramp and a hearing loop are no longer enough to make a venue genuinely accessible, and the people who visit, work, and volunteer here are as diverse as they are numerous. So, what does a truly disability-inclusive society look like for our corner of the world? To advance this goal, Bristol Charities has made two early commitments: to develop genuinely accessible workspaces for the city, and to collaborate closely with people whose own experiences of exclusion challenge and inform our approach.
The Vassall Centre is currently host to organisations run by and for people with disabilities, including Sight Support West, WECIL, Sense, Centre for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing People, and Props. Bristol Charities is proud to be their landlord and to support their incredible work. We have benefited from inclusion training delivered by WECIL, and we run projects with Props, including our Lunch Club for local older adults. We also hope to develop more initiatives that are shaped by – and accountable to – people with lived experience.
We know this work is far from finished and won’t be until inclusion is a reality for everyone. Bristol Charities will continue to listen, learn, and make meaningful changes – and we invite our community to walk with us.
Your voice, insight, and partnership can help build a fairer future.
Ready to explore the Vassall Centre?
Whether you’re looking for permanent office space, a collaborative environment, or facilities for your next meeting, the Vassall Centre offers purpose-built solutions designed specifically for the VCSE sector.
The Vassall Centre | Bristol’s Accessible Home for Charities
