How many wheelchair users does it take to sell a conference for 200 people?
This
is not a joke about changing light bulbs in hospitals but a serious
question for all conference venues and organisers. The answer is one. If
an event organiser has one wheelchair user or potential wheelchair user
in their audience then they need to find a location where they are used
to looking after wheelchair users.
By this I don’t mean taking
them in a back door, using grubby service lifts, and generally making
the person feel second class. I mean having the facilities and great
customer service that venues and organisers strive to achieve with
everyone.
Surely the days of building ramps, widening doors and
other major improvements were achieved under the Disability
Discrimination Act of 2005. If not they certainly should have been and
you could easily face a legal challenge. Please don’t hide behind Grade
Two status and other excuses because where there is a will there is a
way. We are now on the Equality Act of 2010, although this is not always
apparent when I read conference venue websites and an age where you
should be delivering great customer service to ALL.
I want to
pose two basic questions that are vital if you want disabled guests to
stay with you or use your conference facilities, they are:
1. Do you have an accessibility statement that can be downloaded from your website?
2. Do you always complete a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for your disabled guests?
I
suspect very few readers can actually answer yes to both questions. If
you can then you are on the right lines to providing great customer
service for disabled people. If not then come back and read future blogs
as I will explain why it is vitally important to provide an
accessibility statement and a PEEP.
In the meantime if you want
any help about accessibility then e-mail arnold@avfmarketing.co.uk.
Any comments? Email sarah@mashmedia.net
