A REDDITCH company has received an award for excellence in providing access for the disabled.

Mouzer Employment Consultancy was one of eight organisations to be given the Access All Areas award for its innovative and committed approach to disabled customers.

The Prospect Hill company caters for clients, including disabled jobseekers, and operates programmes, including New Deal on behalf of Jobcentre Plus.

Mouzer's director of public services Sean Owen said: "We have really tried to think about disabled customers and how they can use our services and it is great that we have been recognised for it.

"Businesses and organisations should be catering for everyone and opening their doors to all who want to use them."

Run by the Department for Work and Pensions, the award gave service providers with less than 50 employees the chance to compete within their region to demonstrate how they had made changes to enable disabled people to use their services.

Presenting the awards in London, Minister for Disabled People Maria Eagle said: "Service providers have less than a year to tackle physical barriers to disabled people accessing their services or face legal action.

"Doing nothing is not an option - if small organisations like Mouzer can excel the way they have, there is no excuse for others not to make the reasonable physical adaptations required by law from next October.

"Disabled people have the right to the same opportunities in their daily life as anybody, whether going to the shops, socialising or playing sport.

"Businesses may be surprised to discover, with a little creativity, just how easy and inexpensive these changes can sometimes be."