Having an accessible business is something that is required under UK legislation, but more than that, it’s something that ensures that you aren’t excluding anyone from your business.

By making an effort to be more inclusive, you can benefit from the experiences of a wider range of people and reach a wider range of potential customers. Creating a business that’s welcoming to everyone is great for your reputation, too.

To be more accessible, the key is to be empathetic and to learn as much as possible about the lived experience of people who have disabilities.

Training your team

Training is the most important step you can take when making a more accessible business. Ensure that your staff know how to help people with disabilities when they call or visit your business.

For example, you might train staff on where the wheelchair-accessible entrances are or on how to communicate effectively with visitors to the office who are deaf or hard of hearing.

A great way to help your staff better understand the needs of people with disabilities is to encourage things like volunteer placements. By actually speaking with people who have disabilities, your staff can gain real-life experience and empathy, which they can bring back into the office.

Online accessibility

More and more of our business is carried out online, and it’s important that our digital presence, as well as our physical one, is accessible to people with disabilities.

When you are designing your online presence, be sure to bear in mind the experiences of people with disabilities. It’s a good idea to get feedback from people on how easy your website is to navigate, for example.

This guide by Eleven marketing offers some food for thought on designing an accessible digital presence.

Think about the physical environment

The way that your office is physically designed can go a long way towards making it more accessible. Some things to think about are:

An open-plan office space. Open-plan offices are much easier to navigate for people who use a wheelchair and people who are blind or partially sighted. As a bonus, they also encourage collaborative working and help to build relationships.
Adaptable furniture. Think about desks that have an adjustable height, as well as height-adjustable chairs. People who use a wheelchair to move around the office might prefer to work in an office chair, so it’s important to bear this in mind.
Lever door handles. A small thing, but it can make all the difference! Lever handles are much more easily operated by people with limited mobility.
Kitchens and communal areas. Ensure that these are easy to use so that everyone can be included in break times.

Allow service animals

Guide dogs and other support animals can make life so much easier for people who have a disability, so it’s important that you accommodate them in your office environment.