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What the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) means to your business
How does the DDA affect businesses?
Since October 2004 you have been required to make 'reasonable adjustments' to your premises in order to make your services accessible to disabled people. Problems and solutions vary from business to business. The law says you can make the alterations in four ways:
- Remove the barrier or obstacle
- Make alterations, by adding a ramp, clearer signage, counter/reception heights altered etc.
- Find a way to avoid the problem - for example, changing the internal layout of a building
- Providing a service or access by reasonable alternative means, offering a home service, installing call bells at approved heights, adjusting door opening strengths etc.
What if an alteration costs too much?
The DDA refers to 'reasonable adjustments'. If the cost of an alteration would put you out of business, the access audit would note this and attempt to find a more reasonable solution while still enabling your compliance with the DDA.
What if businesses have no disabled customers?
That's no argument under the law. The duties under the DDA are 'anticipatory' so saying you have no disabled customers will not provide any legal protection.
Are listed buildings exempt?
There are restrictions on how listed buildings can be altered, but they are not exempt under the DDA. Businesses that operate from listed buildings need to take specialist advice about how to remove access barriers.
What are the risks of doing nothing?
There is a possibility of having to defend a costly legal action. But there is also a pressing economic argument. It is estimated that the spending power of disabled people amounts to £50 billion per year. Ignoring the requirements of the DDA means losing business - especially if competitors have already made improvements.
What do I do next?
Because most barriers can be easily and inexpensively removed it is vital to establish low cost and reasonable initiatives that avoid unnecessary expenditure. Research by the Disability Rights Commission found that eight out of ten businesses predicted a positive rise in profits after improving access for disabled people.
Telephone or email AEC to arrange an access audit by a trained auditor, who will make reasonable and practical suggestions for you and your business.
