How to Make Your Workplace More Disability Friendly

It’s important for any company or business to make sure their workplace is inclusive and accessible; whether you’re an independent shop with a small team, or a global company with hundreds of employees. Ensuring your workplace is disability friendly - both in regards to physical access and the workplace culture - is beneficial to all employees, whether they’re able bodied or not.

If you have any disabled employees and are wondering how to make their work life easier, or if you want to improve your workplace for the future, see below for our brief guide to making your workplace more disability friendly.

Build awareness

Employee training sessions can be invaluable, and make everyone aware of how they can best help and accommodate any disabled colleagues. It’s also a good idea to review your company handbooks and staff policies to ensure that nobody is being unintentionally discriminated against.

Make use of assistive technology

With the vast majority of jobs using a computer (or some other form of technology), it makes sense to invest in simple assistive products that will make a big difference. There are many types of assistive technology available, including braille displays, speech recognition software, assistive listening devices, and many more, all designed to make employees’ lives easier.

Ensure the building is easy to access

It’s vital that the building itself is easy to access, so you may need to consider installing ramps or disabled access lifts inside and outside your workplace. There are many types of lifts available depending on your needs, including stair lifts, vertical platform lifts and overhead hoists. If there’s a car park, set aside some spaces closest to the building as disabled parking bays, too.

Be flexible

Disabled employees may require earlier or later start and finish times, or a different work schedule to the standard Monday to Friday. Being flexible on this is a great way to show support, and ensure that all your employees are performing to the best of their ability. You should also be open to providing extra support during training or meetings, such as sign language support, or print outs in braille or large print.

If you need to install a disabled access lift in your workplace, get in touch with ADL Lift Services. We’re experienced when it comes to working with customers with various levels of need, and can install a range of lifts, from wheelchair lifts to stairlifts, vertical platform lifts and more. Safety is our number one priority, so you can be sure that any lift you choose is in full compliance with the relevant legislation. For more information about our disabled access lifts, or our installation and maintenance services, give us a call today or visit our website.