smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) affects the way you treat your staff, job applicants and customers. Under the DDA, small and medium-sized businesses have to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ so they do not discriminate against disabled customers. The law has been designed so that you only have to make reasonable changes, but if you fail to do what is reasonable, a disabled person could take legal action against you for treating them unfairly.

What is ‘reasonable’ for my business?
To operate within the law, you should consider the following when deciding what sort of change is likely to be reasonable for your company:

• Type of business
• Size of the business and annual turnover
• Cost of the adjustment
• Disruption to the business while the work is being carried out
• Practicality of carrying out the adjustment
• Potential benefits to disabled customers

The DDA states that you must not treat disabled customers unfairly, no matter what size your company is. If your organisation is not accessible to disabled people, you could be missing out on a lot of potential customers.

There are many things you can do. Some changes don’t cost very much, such as providing a seat for people who have mobility impairments and cannot stand for very long. If you are unsure how you can assist a disabled person, you should consider asking them what you can do to help.

Here are some of the things to consider:

Accessing your information
Are signs and labels short and easy to read?
Do you have different versions of customer information? For example: leaflets, brochures, menus
Can people contact your business in different ways? For example: by phone, email or fax
Is your website accessible?

Accessing your premises
Is there somewhere to sit down if customers have to queue or wait?
Are all key facilities on the main floor? Are popular products on a mid-height shelf?
Is it easy for visually impaired people to see everything they need to?
Is there level access into and inside your premises? This means no steps, steep slopes or lips on doorways.
If there are steps, can you fit a ramp or install a lift so disabled people can get in?
Can you install a bell or buzzer outside and go out to disabled customers when they ring?
Are door handles easy to grip and easy to reach for wheelchair users?
Are corridors and aisles clear of obstructions for a wheelchair to pass through?

Customer service
Do your staff know how to assist disabled people in an emergency?
If you normally prohibit animals, you should consider relaxing this for assistance dogs. Remember, it is not just visually impaired people who use assistance dogs.
Are staff trained to give assistance if people ask?

If you can’t make adjustments like these for a disabled person, you must consider whether there are other ways of providing an equivalent service to customers, such as online access to your products or service, or even home delivery.

Find out more:
The DDA falls under the remit of the Government’s Department for Work and Pensions, (tel 020-7712 2171), which provides information and support for employers through Disability Employment Advisers based in its network of Jobcentre Plus offices and Jobcentres. For more information about employing disabled people, visit the Disability Services for Employers section of the Jobcentre Plus website.

Directgov is the Government’s website including information about the responsibilities of employers, businesses and service providers towards disabled people.

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