Frequently asked Questions
What are the benefits to my business of DDA Compliance?
The Employers Forum on Disability has identified a number of key benefits of including disabled people in your business. These include reduced costs, accessing the £80 billion spending power of disabled people, enhanced brand rating and increased employee satisfaction.
Download our article on Business Benefits of Inclusion: disability_confident.pdf (67.3 KB)
What is an Access Audit?
An Access Audit is a detailed inspection of your business, with a view to finding out how easy it is for disabled people to do business with you or work for you. The Auditor will assess the various aspects of your customer and employee interface against clearly defined criteria.
We will first spend some time talking with you to establish a picture of your business and develop a brief for the Audit. Following this we arrange for an Access Auditor to carry out the audit, by visiting and running a series of checks on your website, visiting your premises if required, looking at your policies and procedures on employment, and considering any relevant information provided to the public about your business.
The next stage is to provide you with a detailed report with prioritised recommendations. Cost estimates can be provided if wished, together with lists of suitable suppliers for any equipment or alterations needed. At all times the Auditor will seek to provide solutions which are:
- Inclusive
- Elegant
- Practical
- Realistic
- Attuned to the needs of your particular business
On completion of the report, the auditor will normally meet with you to help you to interpret their report and recommendations.
Why should I have an Access Audit?
Government guidance stresses that the first step in compliance with the DDA is to carry out an Access Audit to your business. This helps you to establish both where you are doing well, and where you need to make improvements. An Access Audit is an excellent way of demonstrating your commitment to inclusion of disabled people. Having had an access audit is arguably very much in your favour should you happen to be challenged by a disabled customer or employee.
Why should I train my staff?
Your staff are ambassadors for your company and usually the first point of contact for new customers. You may have a beautifully accessible building but the effect may be ruined by the inappropriate attitude of the person who operates the barrier to your car park, or your receptionist.
What are Reasonable Adjustments?
The DDA says that you should be ready to make adjustments to your working practices and provide suitable equipment and adaptations to enable a disabled person to take up employment, or continue in employment with you. You must also either remove physical barriers, make modifications to them to improve access, or offer to provide the service in an alternative way which avoids the physical barrier. What is “reasonable” will ultimately be for a court to decide if you are challenged by a disabled employee or customer. It depends on a number of criteria such as:
- The type of services you provide
- The nature of your business and its resources
- The effect of disability on the individual disabled person concerned in any legal challenge
It will also be influenced by factors such as:
- Will it be effective?
- Is it practicable?
- Financial or other costs to you
- Any disruption caused to you
- Money already spent on adjustments
- Availability of financial or other assistance for you to make the adjustment
Will complying with the DDA be expensive?
Not nearly as expensive as being sued for a breach of the DDA! It’s important to remember that the DDA requires you to make “reasonable” adjustments, and that your business’s ability to pay will be taken into account in any assessment of what is “reasonable”. Our expert advice now could save you thousands wasted on unnecessary adaptations. Why not call now for a no obligation discussion of your requirements, it costs nothing to ask!
Does the DDA apply to family businesses?
Yes. There is no exemption for any type of business, however small or what the ownership is.
Does the DDA apply if I am not an employer?
Whilst the employment provisions will not apply, your business still has to comply with the requirements for service provision, such as access to premises, information, any websites and so on.
Can I be fined if I don’t comply?
There are at present no fines for failure to comply, but disabled people are increasingly taking businesses to court for compensation and winning. You risk damages of tens of thousands of pounds, depending on the circumstances. In addition there will be all the loss of management time in fighting a court case and the attendant bad publicity. Is it worth it?
Will the DDA 2005 affect my business?
It may do, if you or any of your subsidiaries bid for work for public bodies such as local authorities, educational establishments, NHS work etc. The DDA 2005 requires all such bodies to promote disability equality, and this is likely to have knock-on effects on contracting.
What is meant by Inclusive Design?
Quite simply, inclusive design is ensuring that disability access and inclusion is built in at the start with any new project, plan or design. The advantage is that the results can accommodate the needs of disabled people in a streamlined and elegant fashion which appeals to everyone. Disabled people are not humiliated and disadvantaged by the often awkward and unappealing aspects of “special” provision.