Government audit deems disabled access on the high street ‘shocking’

A recent government audit of accessibility on the high street found standards to be absolutely appalling. The audit took into account over 30,000 shops and restaurants across the UK, the BBC reports. Each of these venues were visited by DisabledGo, an organisation that provides accessibility information.

The report suggests that the 12 million people in Britain have a massive spending power – something in the region of £200bn. This has serious implications both for humanitarian rights and business prosperity.

A fifth of shops had no wheelchair access and 75% of restaurants made no provisions for anyone who suffered from visual impairments. Similarly, 15% of both restaurants and shops had no hearing loops installed. Many leading chains examined were asked directly for further information but only 4% of these actually replied to the investigation.

The audit found that typically, men’s departments were upstairs and not every venue offered a way for individuals to actually get up and shop for themselves. Despite many staff in shops not being provided proper training in how to best help disabled people, staff were found to offer help – but often in an impractical solution. Many customers are told such things as “just ask and we’ll bring you whatever you want”; a kind gesture, but an impossible one. How can a shopper know what they may want without being able to see stock?

These problems extend to changing rooms and toilet facilities, with many providing no solution whatsoever in terms of accessibility. This simply has to change, and chairman of DisabledGo, Barry Stevenson, has labelled the current state of affairs as being ‘unacceptable’.

We at Platform Lift Company pride ourselves on our ability to source and install lifts which ensure your business premise is accessible and DDA compliant. We have a wide range of options that can be installed in existing shafts or function as self-supporting structures. We have vast experience with installation in all areas of the retail environment.

If improving the accessibility of your shop or restaurant is a priority for 2015 – and we believe it should be – feel free to get in touch with us to discuss your options. You could well be missing a serious business trick be excluding an extra £200bn of spending power, as well as damaging your brand through the unfair exclusion of potential customers.

The Equality Act of 2010 obliges organisations to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and if your premises span multiple floors, the installation of an accessibility lift is your answer to becoming DDA compliant.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30342957

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