Ministers call on businesses to improve Disabled Access ahead of the 2012 games

In 2012 one million disabled visitors are expected in London for both the Olympic and Paralympic games bringing millions of pounds to UK business. Now is the time for British businesses to start preparing for these customers to be part of the Paralympic games when they arrive in London.

To encourage businesses to become more accessible the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and the Office for Disability Issues (ODA) commissioned a report setting out the opportunities that disabled customers bring.

The report “2012 Legacy for Disabled People: Inclusive and Accessible Business” shows that:

  • Disabled consumers are a significant but poorly addressed market worth between £40-£80 billion p.a.
  • For an average business disabled customers may account for up to 20% of the customer base
  • 32% of disabled people have difficulty accessing goods and services they want to use
  • This means small businesses could be losing 1 in 5 of their customer base
  • The risk of losing business to a more accessible competitor is high as consumer experiences of disabled people affect the choices of family and friends.

The report highlighted the main reasons for disabled customers switching to more accessible competitor include: poor customer service, inaccessible telephone systems and inaccessible printed information.

Business Minister Mark Prisk said:

“We want to be sure that businesses will be able to meet the needs of those valuable customers not just because it is fair or the law but because it makes good business sense.

This report makes a clear economic case that businesses that are more accessible will be more profitable.”

Minster for Disabled People Maria Miller said:

“The 2012 games provide a powerful opportunity for the private sector to reach out to disabled customers, counter disability stereotypes and showcase their equality credentials. Disabled consumers are a significant proportion of the UK consumer market and businesses could be missing up to 20% of the market by not reaching out to them.”

It might take only one small change to make a business significantly more accessible to disabled people and we are developing initiatives to support businesses to be come more inclusive and accessible in the lead up to the games and beyond!”

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