The Disability Discrimination Act

What You Need to Know

A Guide for Small to Medium Businesses

Section 4 - Approaching the Premises

• Approaching the premises
• Entering the premises
• Making doors easier to use
• Finding a way around
• Lighting
• Getting around
• Access to goods
• Payment of goods
• Information about goods and services
• Communicating with disabled customers
• Facilities
• Getting out of the premises
• Access Auditing Service

Approaching the premises

Owners or managers should ensure that ease of access is maintained and that there are no obstructions.

Practical suggestions:

• Better lighting
• Paths and other routes - consider the surface of routes to the premises and ensure that this is suitable and well maintained
• Car parking - if car parking is offered ensure that there is provision for a disabled customer to manoeuvre a wheelchair in and out of a car
• Locate suitably marked disabled car parking space as close to the entrance as possible. Where possible, ensure regular inspections are carried out so that drivers who are not disabled do not occupy bays intended for disabled customers

Entering the premises

The best solution to initial access is one that allows independent entry for a disabled customer without requiring additional assistance. Disabled customers will feel more valued if they are able to use the main entrance along with everyone else.

Practical suggestions:

Major barriers to independent access for many people with mobility impairments are steps - particularly wheelchair users.

If you have a step or steps to your main entrance door, consider:

• Raising the pavement or other approach up to the level of the entrance
• Installing a permanent external ramp, in addition to the steps rather than as a replacement

These types of solutions may incur planning permission being sought. For smaller businesses, a temporary ramp might be a reasonable alternative.

There are other relatively easy changes that can make a real difference for your disabled customers:

• Fit handrails to any steps that remain at the main entrance (particularly useful for people with arthritis or limited mobility)
• Mark the edges of steps with strong contrast (for people with visual impairments)
• Try to allow as much natural light at an entrance as possible

If independent access through the main entrance cannot reasonably be provided, it is important to try to:

• Designate an alternative entrance with level access
• Fit a call bell or an entry phone system
• Offer assistance over the step where stepped access cannot be avoided
• Offer alternative methods of providing services: such as, delivering to people's homes or through the post

Making doors easier to use

Doorways and doors can be another barrier for disabled customers. While automatic sliding doors are ideal, it is recognised that they are not always possible.

Practical suggestions:

• Position the door handle: at a height one metre from the ground
• Replace the door handle if necessary by one that is easier to grip, such as a D-shape handle and one with better colour contrast
• Make the door easier to open
• Check that entrance mats are flush
• Add safety markings to glazed doors
• Maintain doors to ensure that they open and close smoothly

Finding a way around

Practical suggestions:

Make signs easier to read

• Use clear symbols
• Use clear and large mounted-tactile text
• Use different colours effectively - white or yellow on black are good - lack of colour contrast is poor
• Have induction loops where hearing aid users will find them of most benefit, for example at the enquiry desk
• Offer personal assistance
• Ensure aisles and displays are not blocked and do not limit access

Lighting

Improving lighting conditions in your premises can be of particular benefit to customers with partial sight and it is important that good lighting remains consistent throughout customer areas.

• Highlight hazardous areas
• Avoid highly reflective surfaces

Getting Around

Stairs

Avoid internal steps as much as possible; even one or two steps can exclude a customer with a mobility impairment from reaching your services.

If your services are located on one or more levels consider alternative ways of making your goods and services available, e.g. if you have a newsagents you could offer personal assistance to the disabled person whilst shopping.

Practical suggestions:

• Make circulation easier such as wide clear pathways
• Fit handrails
• Clear marking of internal steps and safety hazards
• Ensure that surfaces are as level as possible and do not present slipping or tripping hazards

Access to Goods

Shelves and Units

Practical suggestions:

• Ensure shelves and units are accessible
• Make product information easier to read; use a large text such as a 14-point font, with good contrast
• Consider relocating certain services, and offer them at an accessible level
• Provide advice counters, changing rooms, and special seating areas where personal shoppers can assist customers

Queuing systems, waiting areas and seating

Do your customers have to wait to receive a service? Do they have to walk considerable distances within the premises?

If so, provide seats for people to sit and rest.

Practical suggestions

• Try to ensure that seated customers do not lose their place in the queue
• Allow enough space or separate access to tills for wheelchair users
• Checkout areas should include 'easy-access' positions where wheelchair users have sufficient space to move easily alongside the goods conveyor
• Consider offering additional help with packing to disabled customers
• Reposition furniture in waiting areas to allow wheelchair users to pull up alongside a seated companion
• Ensure where practical that announcement systems are both visible and audible

Payment of Goods

Practical suggestions

• Create a lowered section of the counter or service desk with sufficient space to key-in chip and pin numbers, sign card receipts, write cheques etc, to suit both standing and wheelchair-using. Alternatively, a lower writing shelf could be provided
• Equipment such as lap trays or clip boards (for people to use key pads, sign receipts, or write cheques if they cannot bend down to reach a counter top) can be useful for micro businesses
• Make sure that any service call bell is in an accessible and obvious position
• Keep glazed screens clear of notices, grilles or other distractions that make it difficult for people to lip-read
• Improve lighting so that it is easier for someone who is lip-reading to see the staff member's face
• Position service desks so that they are not located in front of windows where bright sunshine will cause the staff member to be in silhouette, making lip-reading difficult
• Alter staff practices: in situations where it is not reasonable to make counters and service desks fully accessible
• A member of staff could come out from behind a service desk to meet a wheelchair-using customer who cannot approach the desk and carry out any transactions

Information about goods and services

Think about how people with visual impairments and with learning disabilities get the information they need about your products and services.

Practical suggestions

• Make labels, pricing, menus etc clearer. Consider use of graphics/symbols and bigger text, with good contrast. Consider similar clarity on all publicity and marketing material
• Provide Personal Shopping: Are staff trained to assist visually impaired customers by describing and explaining products or services to them?
• If you have any websites are they designed to be accessible? Please see Appendix A for further information on websites

Communicating with disabled customers

Your customers need to communicate with staff about a whole host of issues relating to goods and services on offer, such as pricing, availability, contracts and after-sales service. Clear communication needs further thought for customers with hearing or visual impairments, or those with learning disabilities.

For people with hearing impairments there is a range of technical equipment that can help - most notably induction loops for people with hearing aids. Retailers will need technical advice on choosing and installing different systems. Pads and pens may also be appropriate for communication.

Once installed, make sure that the systems are advertised and regularly checked. Consideration should also be given to protecting the privacy of customers where appropriate.

Practical Suggestions:

• Separate quiet and noisy areas: plan the use of space to benefit all customers, particularly those with hearing impairments, by locating a customer helpdesk away from noisy machinery or equipment
• Make communication easier: staff can be encouraged to look straight at customers and not cover the mouth when they are speaking to them. This will benefit people who use any level of lip reading
• Allowing extra time and repeating back to the customer to check accuracy and understanding can benefit customers with learning difficulties and with speech impairments
• Use alternative means of communication: in situations where it is not effective to use an induction loop or other type of voice enhancement system, staff could communicate in other ways, such as exchanging written notes with customers

Facilities

Café/Restaurant

If you own a café or restaurant, the seating should allow wheelchair users to sit at available tables.

Customer toilets and baby changing rooms

If a business provides toilets for non-disabled customers then they will also be expected to make a toilet available for disabled customers where reasonable to do so. The following checklist suggests other improvements that can be made to those toilets that are not fully wheelchair accessible.

Practical Suggestions:

• Fit grab rails: appropriately positioned grab rails are necessary for customers with limited movement, balance or grip
• Use better lighting: improving lighting in toilets will benefit everyone, particularly those customers with visual impairments
• Use colour contrast. Making fixtures and fittings stand out more easily makes toilet compartments and washroom areas much easier to use for all customers
• Outward-opening doors; changing the toilet door so it opens outwards can greatly improve manoeuvring space within the compartment, and make all the difference between a customer being able to use the toilet or not
• It is also better from a safety point of view to have an outward opening door that can be opened in an emergency without being obstructed by anyone inside
• Clearer signing to toilets: pictorial symbols are beneficial to all customers. Using contrasting embossed, tactile figures on doors helps all blind and partially sighted customers
• When undertaking a refurbishment use non-shiny surfaces as glare may be visually confusing
• Ensure that wheelchair accessible toilets are not used as storage areas and are kept free of obstructions
• Ensure alarm systems in toilets are regularly checked. Pull-chord alarms should be capable of being activated from floor level
• Make sure staff are familiar with any alarm systems

Getting out of the premises

• Customers may sometimes experience additional difficulties when leaving, especially if they are carrying heavy or bulky bags. Staff may be able to assist disabled customers out of the building in a variety of ways, such as offering to call a taxi
• You also need to consider means of escape for any disabled customers in case of an emergency evacuation. Management procedures and staff training and awareness are the key to the operation of emergency evacuation arrangements
• Staff assisting disabled people, both wheelchair users and others should act calmly. Fire drills should be practised regularly

Practical suggestions

• Keep exit routes free of obstruction, this is good general fire precautions management
• Ensure alarm systems are in working order and that procedures for emergency evacuation (such as fire drills) are in place and tested regularly
• Ensure that new staff are trained in alarm response procedures

Access Auditing Service

• The Surveying Section of Tameside Property Services offers a service of fully compliant DDA Access Auditing
• The survey and report offers the client an easy to understand guide which; if implemented will enhance service delivery by providing an inclusive environment
• The Surveying Section will visit your premises for a pre-consultation before undertaking an access audit
• The Surveying Section works on a fee recovery basis and the charge for an access audit is £350.00
• The Audit is benchmarked against set standards: BS 8300 and Approved Document 'M' of the Building Regulations
• For further information and advice please contact Peter Wood, Group Building Surveyor, 0161 342 3585