Accessibility Tips for Businesses

Did you know that improving the accessibility of your business can expand your customer base?

Providing an inclusive customer experiences is not only the right thing to do, its good for the bottom line and it ensures you meet relevant legal requirements.

People with disability have significant purchasing power and are a sector that will grow as Australia’s population ages. The presence of disability, limitations or restrictions in daily life increases with age.

In Australia, one in five people have a disability and may have more than one type of disability (SDAC 2022). This increases dramatically if people with temporary limitations resulting from injury or illness are included. In Whitehorse, approximately 38,229 people report a level of disability. A further 41,980 people (23.5%, SDAC, 2022) may be experiencing a chronic illness and would benefit from greater accessibility. As disability can occur anytime in a person’s life through accident, injury or illness ensuring your business is accessible and inclusive for your staff is equally important.

Everyday people with disability shop, socialise or interact with businesses in the local community. All customers, whether in person or online will make choices about your business based on how easy it is to find and use your online platforms, and or to get into and move around your physical business. If each person with a disability is accompanied by a family member, friend or paid staff the potential for word-of-mouth growth based on positive interactions is enormous.

Regardless of your type of business a café, small or large retailer, service provider, mechanic etc, this market represents an often-missed opportunity. Providing a positive customer experience for people with disability can increase loyalty, broaden your customer base and boost word of mouth referrals.

Inclusive practices and improved accessibility also assist other members of the community including older people with mobility limitations and people with prams.

The Australian Human Rights Commission (2023) reminds us that by proactively promoting accessibility and inclusion, companies have a unique opportunity to not only meet legal and ethical obligations but also gain a competitive advantage in the Australian business landscape. Good Access is Good Business | Australian Human Rights Commission

Source: SDAC - Survey of Disability Ageing and Carers - ABS 2024

Who are we talking about?

When we say “disability” we mean people who:

Are blind or have low vision.
Are deaf or hard of hearing.
Find it hard to move around and may use a wheelchair, electric scooter, walking frame, crutches or canes.
Have difficulty reaching and holding things.
Have difficulty speaking.
Have difficulty understanding.
May need to rest often due to illness or injury.
Find loud or visually busy environments overwhelming

Providing Good Access Helps

Older people
People with young children who use prams or strollers.
People with shopping bags or shopping jeeps
Delivery people.
Staff safety and wellbeing

Ways of Improving Access

Information
Building
Websites
Customers Service
Employing people with disability

Information

Make your information clear and straightforward.
Use plain English; avoid or explain technical or unfamiliar terms.
12 font sans serif fonts are the minimum requirement for accessibility of all written material – try Helvetica Medium, Arial or Tahoma. Using all capital letters makes information harder to read.
Don’t use watermarks or complicated background designs behind information.
Pictures and images need to be sharp, clear and support the information about your business. Images should relate to what is being promoted.
Use the Microsoft insert function for pictures, graphs, tables and hyperlinks as this help people who use assistive technology to move through the document or website.
Promoting where the closest accessible car park, public transport is valuable to people with disability

Tip: Use the Microsoft Accessibility Checker to identify any issues

Building

How accessible is the building you operate from?

Is there clear access to the entry points
Are doors automatic or easy to open?
If there are steps at the entrance to your building, have you thought about purchasing a portable ramp?
Being able to move around when inside your building is important. Can people using mobility aids including wheelchairs move between different areas of your business – door to counter, display areas, seating or other area.
Does your building include toilets, are these free from clutter?
Do you have a clear path of travel across the front of your building for individuals with vision impairment to anchor off? Find out more about footpath trading requirements.

Tip: If you are planning building works, speak with an Access Consultant to improve the accessibility of your premises and meet legislated requirements.

Websites

Ensuring website content is accessible means more people can access the information. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are designed to make websites accessible to everyone. They improve the experience for all users.

Websites built with HTML are the gold standard for accessibility.
Any documents you upload need to be accessible.
Make sure screen readers can read your content.
Use alt text for images.
Keyboard accessibility—can people tab through your website?
Remember that moving content can be overwhelming—include a stop or pause button.
Include an option for people to extend time-limits on websites so people can read at their own pace.
Label forms clearly so people using screen readers know where they need to input information.
Make sure there is a strong colour contrast—use colours that most people can see.
Is language translation available on your website
Add captioning for all videos

Customer Service

Customer service is critical in any business setting. Staff need to be comfortable interacting with all members of the community. Disability awareness training can assist staff to build confidence.

Staff should speak with the person with disability, not their support person.
Have a pen and paper close by, this will help people who have hearing or speech limitations.
Can people easily reach items they may wish to purchase, can these be reached from a seated position?
Customer service counters should be accessible from a seated position

Employing people with disability

People with disability have a range of skills, qualifications and knowledge that may make them the right person for your organisation. People with disability face barriers to employment.

Government funded services such as the National Disability Recruitment Coordinator and Inclusive Employment Australia can assist to improve the accessibility of your policies, job design, recruitment, provide training and link you with people with disability.

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Accessibility Tips for Businesses

Who are we talking about?

Providing Good Access Helps

Ways of Improving Access