Ideas to Make Your Store Accessible

We live in a world in which there is increasing awareness of people with disabilities and the ways in which we can be more accommodating to them. For your business, it makes sense to consider those with limitations, not only because you are a kind and responsible entrepreneur but also because you do not want to exclude any potential customers, thereby reducing your overall profit possibility. Here are a few ideas that you can put into practice to make your business more accessible.

Look at the Entrance

Your entrance needs to be accessible, as well as look like it is accommodating to all sorts of different people. For example, if you have big, heavy doors with round knobs, this can end up being a barrier to people who are elderly or those who have mobility issues of some description. Also, you should think about your stair and ramp situation, and whether it is a good idea to put in Terry lifts to get into the shop itself or between floors. Also, consider putting in electronic doors for an even greater level of convenience.

Train Your Staff Members

Remember, even if you are fully aware of people with disabilities and how you can be accommodating to them, this does not mean that your staff members are as well. Therefore, you should make sure to provide them with the proper training that will equip them with all of the skills they require to do their job successfully. This way, everybody is on the same page right from the start.

Create an Accessible Website

So far,only the physical store of your business has been discussed, but accessibility issues also extend to the online world as well. There are certain barriers that can impact people who have disabilities when they are surfing the web. First of all, this means not using too many harsh color schemes as this can be off-putting to people with visual impairments. Make sure that all of your imagery also has alternate text, and think about putting in subtitles and audio descriptions into your video content. Website accessibility is a growing source of awareness, so it makes sense that you are one step ahead of the crowd wherever this is possible.

Clear Your Aisles

Not only does clearing the aisles look good from a visual perspective, but it also helps out people who have mobility issues when they are trying to navigate their way around the store. You do not want to create a situation in which customers are tripping over things. In the worst-case scenario, this could see your business suffering from a lawsuit of some description, which is obviously the last thing that you need.

These are just a few ideas of some of the ways that you can really boost the accessibility of your business and make it easier for all sorts of different people to shop with you. Ultimately, now is the time to start putting them into practice sooner rather than later.