What are your thoughts on businesses accessibility?

[kajsm]

There has been a lot of talk about online accessibility with the ADA etc but not as much talk on making physical businesses accessible. The Equality Act 2010 has put much stricter responsibilities on business owners to make their businesses accessible and more of these cases are actually going to court with fines on small business owners. Do you think these responsibilities are right and is there enough support on small business owners to make their businesses accessible? There is potentially a huge economy to appeal to and disabled shoppers spend billions every year but many business owners still don't want to make the changes necessary, is this just because we maybe aren't aware as a community or do we just not have enough resources to do so?

 

[Mr D]

There has been a lot of talk about online accessibility with the ADA etc but not as much talk on making physical businesses accessible. The Equality Act 2010 has put much stricter responsibilities on business owners to make their businesses accessible and more of these cases are actually going to court with fines on small business owners. Do you think these responsibilities are right and is there enough support on small business owners to make their businesses accessible? There is potentially a huge economy to appeal to and disabled shoppers spend billions every year but many business owners still don't want to make the changes necessary, is this just because we maybe aren't aware as a community or do we just not have enough resources to do so?

Trouble is there isn't one solution that helps everyone. Disabled covers a massive range of problems and solutions.

Used a bank once where they replaced the steps with a ramp - I had to stop using the branch once steps removed.

 

[UKSBD]

A lot of it is due to the regulations being so ridiculous and then being used as an excuse to do nothing.

 

[Paul Norman]

The level of adaptation needed is often modest. And affordable. And about engaging with the issue.

There are, of course, some exceptions. Some buildings, for example, stubbornly refuse to offer up a solution! Lifts, if you have more than one floor, and space hungry and expensive.

I find myself fluctuating in my response here. I think a lot more is being done than was, and welcome that. The thing that troubles me more is the attitude people still, in a significant minority of cases, have towards disabled people. That offers more obstacles than needing help with a step.

 

[Mr D]

Part of the time my missus uses a wheelchair when at a retail or trade show. Occasionally has minor trouble when uneven floor causes a wheel to not grip.
Takes her a few seconds to resolve the matter herself, I just let her get on with it.

More than once some well meaning total stranger has grabbed the chair handles and shoved her forward, startling her.
She feels the same way anyone would feel being shoved forwards several feet from behind unexpectedly.

Asking if someone wants help, accepting a polite refusal - should be normal. It isn't always.

 

[UKSBD]

The level of adaptation needed is often modest. And affordable. And about engaging with the issue.

It isn't though if done correctly.

The problem is who ever give the OK for something to be done that isn't correct is opening them selves up to trouble.

More and more this is used as an excuse to do nothing where practical solutions are available.
I don't blame them either, I always say - They are better of dong nothing than something that isn't correct - It's them who the buck stops with if anything goes wrong.

I get it all the time where people ask me for a ramp but it has to comply to the regulations.

Once you ask them which regulations they mean, they rarely know, refer to building regulations and once you tell them what they require to comply to those they say it's impossible.