smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Minister for disabled people, Maria Eagle, has launched the Access All Areas award scheme to encourage small businesses to “go the extra mile” and make their services more accessible to disabled people.

From October 2004 the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) will be extended to include all small businesses, including those with less than 15 employees that are currently exempt. This means that all firms will be obliged to not discriminate against disabled employees and customers.

The DDA applies to any small business that provides a service to the public. These firms are required to take reasonable steps to address physical features of their premises that act as barriers to their services.

The Access All Areas awards aim to reward enterprises that have used an imaginative approach to improving accessibility and services for disabled customers and seen benefits for their business as a result. Long-term plans to improve accessibility will also be rewarded.

The Whitechapel Art Gallery is being held up as a good example of what can be achieved and the resulting benefits. It has implemented sign language talks, large print programmes and lift access, amongst other things. See www.whitechapel.org to see more details.

The awards are open to businesses with 50 or fewer employees and the closing date for applications is 30 September. For an application form, and an accompanying video that explains the implications of the DDA for small businesses, call 0845-124 9841 or email DDAinfopack@meads-ltd.co.uk. Details of how to apply can be found at www.disability.gov.uk/dda/awards.html. For more information on how to make premises more accessible, visit www.disability.gov.uk.

In a separate announcement Small Firms Minister Nigel Griffiths has urged businesses to tap into new pools of talent when recruiting new staff, particularly people with disabilities.

He highlighted Government schemes, such as the Job Introduction Scheme and the Access to Work scheme, which can help employers and disabled employees. For more information on these, visit www.dti.gov.uk.

See also our earlier story on disabled access and the Equal Opportunities section.