Accessibility matters! Can you afford for your business to continue to restrict the number of potential customers you have, or to prevent talented people from working for you?
By Jan Brookes, Isle Access
Why do businesses need to think about accessibility?
As well as businesses having legal obligations under The Equality Act (2010) there is a strong business case for ensuring that your business is as accessible and inclusive as possible. Customers who face barriers to access, either physical, through the poor attitude of your employees, or even being unable to access your website, will choose to take their business elsewhere. The Business Disability Forum estimates that high street businesses in the UK are losing a total of £1.8bn a month through poor access and attitudes and their report into inaccessible websites shows a £450m loss of business over one weekend.
What do we mean by accessibility?
Accessibility is removing barriers so that as many people as possible can access an environment, business or service. Accessibility is not just about disabled people (20% of the population) but about us all. We all need good access during our lives, carrying heavy shopping, pushing prams, riding bikes etc. The same barriers affecting deaf people will also affect people who cannot understand English, a person struggling to take money out of their purse because of arthritic hands faces the same barrier to payment that a mother faces who has a child in her arms. Removing barriers to access benefits everyone.
What do employers need to be thinking about?
Visit England identifies 3 pillars of accessibility and they apply to any business. A few considerations are:
a) Information – Is your website accessible? It is estimated that 70% of websites are inaccessible to people with a range of disabilities. Can people read your written information?
b) Facilities – can everyone physically access your premises? Are you missing out on employing talented people because they cannot access your building?
c) Customer Service – Are your employees trained in Disability Equality? Are they comfortable in assisting all customers?
What businesses need to do about accessibility with their customers in mind?
It is rare to find a business that deliberately excludes customers. Show me a business plan that identifies that 20% of their target customers will be excluded! Most businesses don’t realise how inaccessible they are until we tell them, and wrongly presume that they will have to spend an enormous amount of money addressing any issues.
There are many different ways to improve access and Isle Access can assist with:
- Auditing your business (premises, information, training etc)
- Assisting with planning new buildings and services
- Mystery Shopping
- Disability Equality Training
Accessibility is an important legal requirement too isn’t it?
Businesses should take accessibility seriously as legal proceedings are on the increase for discrimination. All of the businesses we have contact with are genuinely surprised about the easy and inexpensive measures that they can take to improve access. Even Machu Picchu is accessible to wheelchair users now!
