The retail and hospitality industry have been challenged to increase the levels of accessibility for disabled people. Chris Moriarty, Head of Insights and Corporate Affairs at BIFM examines the challenge ahead.
The beginning of December saw a report published by a government backed audit of over 30,000 businesses, which aimed to assess the levels of disabled access in high street shops and restaurants. The findings gathered from this report proved to be quite unexpected and significantly disappointing for the retail and hospitality sector.
The results identified emphasised how a large percentage of businesses within this sector were underperforming in their approach to facilitate their disabled customers. As a result of this, the Minister for Disabled people, Mark Harper, turned his focus onto the Catering and Hospitality industry, looking at what measures could be put in place to better cater for disabled people.
Reviewing some of the figures obtained from the report, it was evident that there would be strong concern. Two in five food outlets had no accessible toilet, whilst two thirds of staff had received no appropriate training to cater for disabled customers.
Disabled consumers are expected to spend around 200bn over the Christmas period, it would therefore seem essential for businesses to invest a lot more time and money into their care.
There are two ways to frame this. The first is to look at how we design our new buildings, taking into consideration accessibility from day zero. We have recently seen a shining example of this approach two years ago at London 2012. The Games were considered the most inclusive and accessible ever. The success of the Games has led to the Built Environment Professional Education Project (BEPE), an initiative announced by Government and the Mayor of London aimed at improving accessibility by taking the learnings from 2012 and building it into professional education. BIFM has taken the lead, having launched our revised standards which include accessibility and inclusion, we aim to deliver these through our qualifications early in the New Year.
However, it’s even more crucial that we get this knowledge and competence to those operating existing buildings that may not have been built with accessibility in mind. These buildings will need to be adapted and reshaped. Whether the building is being designed from scratch or is being retro-fitted to make this happen, it is crucial that facilities managers are involved in the process as they will bring the experience of operating buildings which will be vital to getting this right.
That said, making buildings accessible is one thing but often the inclusivity part is not considered enough. Whilst there may be an accessible toilet in the building, is it tucked away somewhere inconvenient? I have heard stories of people entering buildings that have to visit other floors, but need a lift to do so, being asked to use the goods lift or trade entrances. The impact of this demeaning process goes well beyond ticking a compliance box. A good example was a building described to me where there was a lavish spiral stairway going up through the centre of the building. It was stunning. Should someone not be able to use the stairs then they could miss out on this excellent design feature, so they built a glass elevator through the centre of the spiral meaning that people using the lift can still enjoy the experience. Those with disabilities know that they aren’t able to do everything other people can, but we should actively be trying to match their experience with others, to the best of our ability.
As with many things this is not a straight forward challenge. Whilst there is a critical eye being cast on the retail and hospitality sector, there are stories of retailers submitting applications to amend their building only to see it being knocked-back by the planners. So there are a number of people, and professions, that need to take a collective, collaborative approach.
Also, there is no short-cut to making this happen. The responsibility lies not just within the retail sector, but UK business more broadly, and we only have a chance of successfully achieving a truly inclusive approach if we get the firm commitment that is currently lacking from businesses of all sizes. Those businesses who fail to act run the risk of missing an important trick and alienating an important market.
Disabled customers should be able to obtain goods and receive services in the same way as other customers who are not disabled. The UK should be leading the way, setting a positive example and sending an important message to the rest of the world. Small changes can lead to big improvements, not just for customer experience, but for the bottom line of UK business and, essentially, the wider economy.
Chris Moriarty
Head of Insights and Corporate Affairs
British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM)
Tel: +44 (0)1279 712 620
