Disability Access Audit - Disabled Customers and Access

It is common for service providers to think they are 'complying' with DDA but there is no such thing as 'compliance' because the Disability Discrimination Act is a rights based law. Different people have their rights met in different ways. The only way to be certain you understand your responsibilities under the law and your customer's rights is to check with a suitably qualified disabled access specialist.
Just as you should pay for a survey to be done on your house before you buy it, you should invest in the professional advice of a disability access consultant. A disability access consultant can help you identify issues you may not have considered or may have overlooked and give you solutions.
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission recommends the inclusion of a disability access consultant in any scheme, large or small from the beginning. This is supported by the codes of practice, parts 2 and 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Architects and surveyors recognise the value and skills that an Access Consultant brings to any project team.

Disabled people have a combined disposable income of £80bn per year. These people want to use your services and spend their money and could be potential customers if you provide accessible services.
Everyone, not just disabled people benefit from improved access, from parents with young children in pushchairs to the elderly who use mobility equipment.
Accessible organisations are more open to customers and employees are more inviting, inclusive and responsive to everybody's needs.

You could fall behind competitors and lose business and customers.
Your business or organisation's reputation may be harmed in the long-term by having a reputation of being "inaccessible".
If by not making reasonable adjustments, you are found to be in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995 and 2005), you might have a costly court case to fight, which you might lose and then have to spend money doing something anyway.

You are missing out! You may have many potential customers if your organisation or business services are more accessible to disabled and non-disabled people, who can't currently use you.
If you don't have many disabled customers it may be because your business has a reputation of not being accessible. This may one day be challenged by people who may feel excluded from using your service.

It is a common misconception that accessible solutions are always expensive. We can work with you to find ways low cost ways to make your service more accessible such as providing a hearing induction loop, or providing written material in large print.
A change in working practice or delivering the service in a different way may mean that no adaptation is needed at all.
If there are physical changes to be made, these costs can be spread over time, making changes at a planned time of refurbishment, cyclical maintenance or annual review. We can help you build in changes with an access plan.