Blue Badge Company Radar Keys

The Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation, which is now Disability Rights UK, worked in partnership with Nicholls & Clarke, the inventors of the RADAR lock and together they created the National Key Scheme (NKS). 1981 saw the first RADAR locks fitted to help keep accessible toilets free and clean for disabled people.

Before RADAR locks were introduced, many establishments locked the accessible toilet themselves which meant that disabled people could only use the toilet on request. It also sometimes seemed to be the case that the key couldn’t be located by the staff member, or the person who had it wasn’t on duty that day. Fortunately, the introduction of the NKS meant disabled people could now use the toilet without having to ask someone if they could be let in.