What Does It Mean?

It’s important to learn about the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and what it means for your business so you don’t face legal action in the future for misconduct.

Businesses with less than 15 employees cannot refuse to employ someone because they have a disability. Therefore it is important that you make all the reasonable adjustments to your premises so that your business is accessible to all.

What Can You Do?

Such adjustments include having clear signs for the visually impaired, loop systems for the hearing impaired and ramps and handrails for the physically disabled at the correct heights, highlighting dangers, removing obstacles etc.

Depending on your business, there are many different solutions you may have to make. There are four ways in which you can make these changes:

1 –Remove barriers/obstacles

2 –Alternating –adding a ramp, clearer signs, altered counter heights etc

3 –Somehow avoiding the problem, eg changing the internal layout of the building

4 –Providing a service or access by different means such as home service

What Are The Exceptions?

If money is an issue an access audit would note this in a report of your building and try to find a more reasonable solution that still complies with the Act.

Your premises must still be adapted even if your business has no disabled customers or employees.

If your building is listed, there are restrictions on the possible alterations, but they aren’t completely exempt.

What Are The Consequences?

If you choose to ignore the DDA requirements, you could find yourself facing legal action. Not only this, but you could be losing out on good business.

Between 14-24% of the population is registered as having a disability or closely associated with a disabled person.

Also, bear in mind that improvements may also help other customers, such as parents with pushchairs. So you are likely to get more customers if your business is sound under the DDA.

One of the first, cheapest and easiest steps you can change your business so it qualifies under the DDA is to remove barriers.

In research by the Disability Rights Commission, 1/10 businesses stated they’d prefer not to alter their premises to make them suitable, however, 8/10 predicted that doing so would have a positive impact on their business.

Access Auditing

All businesses need to be aware of what is reasonable where required adjustments are concerned. Access Audits take your businesses annual turnover into account and suggest what is reasonable for you and your business with this in mind.

If you arrange an Access Audit your business will receive a full report and you will show the DDA that you have made the first steps to complying with the Act.

Access Audits highlight your business’ particular problems that need to be changed and will always consider what is reasonable in terms of adjustment so you don’t spend a fortune unnecessarily.

What Do You Think?

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