What if the one person they hadn’t thought of was you?

Imagine how you would feel if a multi-million pound company had failed to do one thing that would mean you could visit them to buy their products or use their services.

You’d feel a little let-down I’m sure.

There are moral / ethical reasons to ensure you are providing for all potential customers and treating everyone equally.

However, treating everyone equally doesn’t necessarily mean treating everyone the same, some people will need to be provided for differently than others in order for them to access your services.

Being accessible is more than having wide doors and a lift and that’s why there is legislation in place to ensure that people are thought of and reasonable adjustments are made for disabled people.

The Equality Act 2010 specifically requires businesses to anticipate people’s needs so that they are catered for.

But putting all the legal and moral reasons aside, here are 4 more reasons your business your business needs to be more accessible:

1. Increased Profits

If someone said they could increase your profits you would be sure to listen to their idea, wouldn’t you?

So, here’s one… Make your business more accessible!

In the UK, it is thought that some seven million people of working age have a disability, which adds up to an awful lot of spending power.

This is known as the, “purple pound”, and is reckoned to be worth around £249bn to the economy!

If you want a slice of that, it is up for grabs!

All you need to do is make sure that the people who want to spend their money can come into your stores or access your services!

2. Even More Profit

Yes there is even more money up for grabs than just that £249bn!

It is estimated that 1 in 20 children in the UK are disabled.

That means 1 in 20 families need better access so they can visit your business and use your services.

If the child can’t visit you, neither can the parents or siblings, and we all know it’s the parents who hold the purse strings but the children who get them to spend the money!

3. Warrior Mums

If your business is not accessible to a family with a disabled child you can be sure that will result in some seriously bad publicity for you.

Warrior Mums are fierce.

They are not afraid to name and shame somewhere that has not thought to provide access for their children, they are used to fighting for things for their disabled children every day and adding you to that list is really no big deal for them!

Warrior Mums hunt in packs and they have been known to ‘destroy’ businesses with their social media campaigns.

BUT… get it right and they will shout your names from the rooftops and get you in every newspaper and on every blog out there.

They are also the most loyal customers you will find, so treat them well and they will spend all their money with you!

4. Awards

All businesses love being rewarded, don’t they?

It’s not only great for the ego but is another effortless way to get great media coverage (aka advertising) and there are numerous awards out there for accessibility.

Get it right and your business will be winning awards throughout the year.

I hope more and more businesses will start to understand the benefits of better accessibility and will start to make changes so that everyone can benefit.