e take our mobility for granted.

If a building collapsed or a fire broke out, most of us would be physically able to escape from any danger. But for those who are confined to a wheelchair, that can’t be taken from granted.

What chance do people whose mobility has been affected by a stroke or an accident have, or those who suffer from potentially debilitating conditions such as asthma?

Twenty five years ago tomorrow, 56 people died as flames engulfed the main stand at Bradford City’s Valley Parade stadium. More than 190 were injured in the blaze.

Su Peace knew some of the people who died. One was her husband’s work colleague. “He had asthma and couldn’t get out,” recalls Su, from Queensbury.

Back then, she was already working in the specialised area of disability access with voluntary organisation Bradford Access Action, formerly Bradford Access Group.

Through her work, the documents she has published and the contributions she has made to Government legislation, Su has become a leading expert in the UK to improve the means of escape in emergency for people with disabilities.

The legislation and the improvements which have been put in place to ensure disabled people can access a public building, and also get out in the event of an emergency, was triggered by tragedy.

Su says the Bradford City fire had a profound effect on her. “Something just strikes a chord, and I have battled since then to change legislation, and it has changed,” she says.

She contributed to the Green Guide, published in the aftermath of the Bradford City fire, which gives guidelines for sports ground safety, including emergency evacuation and fire safety.

“That gave new guidelines on how football stadiums should be designed and managed, and from there we have now got British Standards that include issues on the means of escape for disabled people,” says Su.

“I think the Bradford City fire had a big impact on everybody’s lives, but for me it was a realisation there wasn’t sufficient provision for the means of escape for disabled people,” says Su.

“I talk all over the country and I always say it goes back to those people. Everything I do is about those people who lost their lives.”

In 1991, she wrote a book, along with local government officers, called Personal Emergency Egress Plans. She has also lobbied the Government to put better means of escape measures for the disabled into building regulations and British Standards.

More recently, Su contributed to Sports England’s guidelines and the Communities and a local government guide.

Su’s work involves carrying out risk assessments in buildings and discussing ways that people with disabilities could escape in an emergency.

Her expertise has seen her work on some of the UK’s best-known buildings, from the Millennium Dome to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly buildings.

Su’s impetus for seeking a career helping people with disabilities came through her own experiences. Both her grandfathers had disabilities. One lost an eye through glaucoma, the other a leg to diabetes. Her mum had polio.

As she grew older she ws shocked at how much disabled people were discriminated against. “Something I always wanted to do was to make a difference, so I followed my dream,” says Su.

Suffering a spinal injury in a car accident in 1992 forced her to think about her future and, in 2002, she launched a consultancy, Q Equality. It is an extension of her work and involves liaising with local authorities and the NHS.

“The Bradford City fire was a big trigger for change. It changed the way people thought,” says Su.

“Afterwards, there was a report which led to the Green Guide, and that is when the legislation started to improve.

“My memorial is the work I do and I will continue to do that.”

For more information, visit communities.gov.uk.