’tis the season to be jolly but DisabledGO’s recent report on accessibility made for rather depressing reading – less than a third of departments have accessible changing rooms, two thirds of retail staff have no training in how to help disabled customers and 40% of restaurants have no accessible toilet. In response to all the gloom and doom, we’re here to add a little sparkle, with 5 top tips for shops, bars and restaurants to improve the experience for disabled people at Christmas. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune:
1. Be welcoming. Disabled people want to be treated like customers, not an inconvenience. If you don’t know what to do; ask us!
2. Put images of the facilities you do have and any potential obstacles on your website. People with disabilities want to know what to expect and make an informed decision. A ramp may be helpful to a person in a wheelchair, but difficult for a person who uses a stick.
3. If you’ve got a large toilet, put some grab rails and an emergency pull cord in – avoid making your disabled toilet what we call a ‘Quasi Khazi’. If you don’t know where to put them, ask someone! It’s highly likely that one of your team knows someone with a disability.
4. Get a portable ramp and share it with other local shops. Put up some handrails. Let people know you have one and train staff in how to use it.
5. Be patient and willing. It costs nothing, but makes a lot of difference to people with a disability.
Addressing the needs of disabled people could be the difference between you or a competitor getting their business and these tips show that it’s really not that difficult to do. We can all work together to make sure disabled people can also enjoy the festivities to the full and businesses can benefit. It’s freedom shared!
It’s so simple and makes such a big difference for the customer and the business. The Equality Act of 2010 obliges organisations to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, we think these adjustments could be made quickly and easily. If you agree, then decide that 2015 will be the year you become properly accessible to a demographic with a potential £200bn to spend. Or better yet. act now and make 2014 the most accessible Christmas ever.
I couldn’t agree more. It doesn’t even have to be “perfect” access. After all, we’re not accustomed to perfection, and we’re capable of deciding for ourselves what is feasible and working accordingly. But for goodness’ sake, show us, so we don’t have countless wasted journeys. Images are good, but video is even better. As well as putting it on your website high street shops (and anyone) can submit a link to us – free – at showmetheaccess – word will get round!
Oh, and a commentary on it, and text of the commentary in the description, will enable even many deaf+blind people to get your message.
Why not put a link to our site and we’ll reciprocate