What do I need to do?
Meeting legal requirements
In order to meet legal requirements, all businesses have to have taken reasonable steps to make their goods and services accessible to disabled people. For some companies this might only involve minor changes being made, whereas for others more radical measures may be required. Businesses also need to be aware that there are a number of exemptions which need to be taken into consideration when deciding what measures to undertake. For example, certain historic or conservation buildings may be exempt from making physical alterations if alternatives measures are put in place, e.g. a domiciliary service is offered.
What action should I take?
The first step is to arrange for Easy Access To... to carry out an audit to determine what changes, if any, are required to comply with legal requirements. For further information see Corporate Communications Audits & Options and Property Audits & Options or Contact Us
The audits will help determine if your business is meeting its legal obligations and suggest a variety of DDA compliance options if necessary.
What penalties for non compliance?
Since the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 Part III came into force in October 2004 there have been a number of cases where companies have been taken to court over DDA issues. One example involved well-known retailers Debenhams who were sued for not providing disabled access to its menswear department in its Derby store. For full details go to:
http://www.drc-gb.org/newsroom/newsdetails.asp?id=834§ion=1
Potential legal action and the associated unfavourable press can be avoided by companies taking measures to improve their accessibility.