Current Overview of Access at Sadeh

Improving accessibility of Sadeh for members of our community, as well as people who have not been able to engage with our community due to access, is a key priority for us this year. We are conducting research about best practices for accessibility for spaces like ours, and would love to hear from you as we propose a set of actions and implement changes to Sadeh for this purpose. 

This website is a living space which will change as we learn and develop language and plans and hear from you! 

Getting to Sadeh 

• We have a Community Rideshare Board where volunteers can coordinate carpools and cabsharing to and from Sadeh. We will have one Sadeh Access Ride to and from Orpington Station at each volunteer day. Please email info@sadehfarm.co.uk to reserve your spot in advance!

• Our closest train stations are Orpington (with express link to London Bridge) and Swanley (has better links to South London).

  • Both of these stations are about 3 miles away from Sadeh, which is up a country lane

  • Southeastern Rail can provide you with someone who will assist you on your journey with ramps and booking an accessible taxi from the station. While in principle it is possible to book this 2 hours ahead of time from a train station, they recommend you call them a few days in advance to set it up – 0800 783 4524.

    • We are investigating cab companies that have vehicles fit for wheelchairs, and will update this as we learn more

    • We do not currently have any personal vehicles at Sadeh that have wheelchair ramps or could fit an unfolded wheelchair 

• Driving:

  • We have plentiful parking in front of the main house. It is a gravel lot connected to a level path which leads to the house. We will update this page with photos and a map shortly! 

• There is an entirely tarmac back parking lot, immediately adjacent to the main house, with easy level access. The gate is shut for security reasons, but if you let us know we can leave it open for you.

Public events:

• These happen on the ground floor of the main house, outdoors, and occasionally in a small outbuilding. 

• Main house (where we host the indoor portion of all large events, with guest bedrooms on the 1st+2nd floors  and a conservatory for dining/events on the ground floor):

• We have a wheelchair accessible bathroom and shower on the ground floor of the main house. We have no wheelchair accessible bedrooms at the moment (plans to change this are coming though!)

• All the rooms on the ground floor of the main house that are used for public events have level access. They are separated by non-automatically opening fire doors. Non-residential events (ie. if you’re not spending the night) only use the ground floor.

• We are working on measuring all of our door lips. As a short term fix, if you let us know that this would be helpful, we can lay down pieces of cardboard, and attach string to our door knobs if those doors can’t just be left open. 

• Unless booked for guests or being used in programming, we should have spaces for quiet/naps/rest/solitude for you to use. If you let us know in advance we can set up something suitable.

• We have a wide range of seating options, including chairs with handles, couches and benches.
  

• Outdoors

  • Our field, which includes the chickens, vegetable beds, Havdalah Garden, and forest garden, is often quite uneven and muddy, potentially making it difficult to commute across. There are no completely level paths. We have lots of volunteer tasks to dole out that don’t require heading into these spaces! 

  • When the weather is dry, the ground can be traversable on a wheelchair (depending on the chair). This is much easier when  it has been recently mowed. We are happy to mow before you come if you let us know a week in advance. We can also advise on the condition of the ground before you visit.

  • We are working on measuring the hill steepness gradients and will update this soon – if you need that information ASAP, please reach out.

• Volunteer Kitchen / “the  VK”

  • This is a small wooden building in the field which is the kitchen for the fellows on our fellowship programme.

  • We heat the VK in the winter by a wood burning stove.

  • In winter, and when the weather has been wet, the path down to this is generally muddy and slippery.

  • For virtually all events we can use the main house instead of the VK. Just let us know if this is your preference.

 Amongst other things, on request, we can:

• Try to control for harsh chemical scents, by asking our participants to not wear strong fragrances. 

• Have any planned handouts ready in different formats like large print.

Culture

We have a wide range of activities to engage in, and will always try to find ways for each visitor to get involved in a way that suits their abilities and needs. We are a small team, which means we have limited human capacity, but also a lot of freedom and flexibility when it comes to tailoring programmes for participants. 

At any of our events you are welcome to take things at your own pace and drop in and out as you need to Animals, service or not, are welcome.

We will trust that you need what you say you do, and won’t require any evidence/ specific diagnosis. If it helps you to come, or makes your visit more enjoyable, we will try to make it happen. Email info@sadehfarm.co.uk with what might make the farm and participating at Sadeh accessible to you.