As many as one out of three households have at least one person with a legal disability. As a business, it’s easy to do the math and realize that they make up a large portion of potential consumers to sell to. It’s important that your business caters to their needs so that they can easily buy from you too.
Not only is it inclusive to make your business more accessible to shoppers with disabilities, but it’s also lucrative for you. Take a look at some of the best ways to make your business more accessible.
Provide Disabled Toilets
If you have a bathroom in your place of business for public use, then it should be accessible for disabled people as well. Make sure that you’re not only providing a space where a person in a wheelchair could easily move around, but you should also consider posting signs that provide guidance for a variety of disabilities.
Provide Disabled Parking
Parking spaces that are directly next to your entrance is a great way to ensure that customers with disabilities can easily access your business without having to travel far from their car. Parking is one of the biggest challenges that disabled consumers face and a common reason why many of them shop at only certain stores.
It’s important that if you do designate disabled parking spots that you keep an eye on them to ensure that they are being used by those who need them. Some people take advantage of disabled parking, who shouldn’t be.
Provide Appropriate Seating
If your business has a seating area or waiting room, make sure that there is ample enough space for a wheelchair. Seats that are fixed to the floor may make it difficult for wheelchairs to get through. It’s important that everything can be moved around easily to make room.
Allow Service Animals
Although not every business may love the idea of animals in their location, it’s important that you remember service animals are not merely pets. Service animals are specially trained to assist people with all sorts of different disabilities. With over half a million people in the USA alone who have service animals, it would be unwise not to allow customers to enter with one.
Train your Employees
It’s important that your employees know how to interact with customers who have disabilities. The best way to ensure they give adequate service is to provide thorough training ahead of time. That way, they have no questions that come up about how to address issues that come up.
Inclusive Marketing
To appeal to a wide range of consumers, you should be as inclusive as possible in your marketing. That means including people with disabilities in your marketing campaigns.
