The ‘Purple Pound’ is worth in the region of £240 billion, in the UK. How can Guernsey businesses ensure they are as Inclusive and Accessible as possible to our 13,000 disabled islanders, 4,000+ carers and visitors?
- Over 80% of disabled consumers choose to shop with retailers that support disabled people. Many will pick a store that is less accessible than others but has more helpful staff. Source: www.wearepurple.org.uk
- 75% of disabled people and their families say they have left a shop because of poor customer service. Source: www.wearepurple.org.uk
- Over 60% businesses didn’t provide staff with any disability awareness training. Source: DisabledGo.
- Some 45 per cent of UK businesses are nervous about hiring a disabled person, Purple’s research found, citing concerns about the interview process, not knowing whether to help with tasks such as opening doors or pulling out chairs, and falling foul of discrimination law. Source: www.wearepurple.org.uk
- The most commonly stated enablers for employment among adults with impairments are modified hours or days or reduced work hours. Source: www.remploy.co.uk
- The 2 most common barriers to work among adults with impairments are a lack of job opportunities (43%) and difficulty with transport (29%). Source: www.remploy.co.uk
- 65% of people actively avoid engaging with disabled people because of the fear of doing or saying the wrong thing. This is the crux of the issues that many businesses face. You could have a lovely modern building, with fully accessible toilets. Everything is physically tailored to suit wheelchair users, but only 7% of disabled people are wheelchair users. What about the other 93%?
Take a look at our change cards to improve your customer service:
• Disability awareness training
• GET best practice guide
