Making Your Business More Accessible for People with Disabilities

Like any successful business owner, you're probably constantly thinking about what you can do to make your company thrive. 

One thing you should ask yourself, though, is whether you're putting the same amount of consideration into making sure your company culture thrives, too. After all, without employees who feel comfortable and supported on the job, the success of your business can only go so far. 

Adjusting your company practices so that it is accessible to employees and customers alike might take a little extra effort, but it should be a top priority. Read the suggestions below for steps you should be taking for an accessible company culture. 

1. Make Accommodations for Service Animals 

Until very recently, it was out of the norm to see any animals at all in public places. Now, however, with the rising acceptability of service and emotional support animals, they seem to be everywhere. 

A contributing factor in that, of course, has been companies making concerted efforts to provide accommodations for them in office buildings, storefronts and other places of business. 

So long as proper health and safety measures are in place, there's no reason why a friendly creature of two can't share the space if they assist in keeping their owners as happy and productive as possible. 

Consider adjusting your office policies to welcome service and emotional support animals instead of discouraging them. Just make sure your employees also have the tools and information needed to register their animal helpers at esaregistration.org. 

2. Rethink Office Spaces

As an able-bodied or neurotypical individual, it might be incredibly easy to overlook all the ways in which your business space is not set up for everyone's comfort and equitable access. 

Walkways might be too narrow for wheelchairs, or the desks might be too tall. Office supplies might be out of reach or the lighting might be too bright and overstimulating. 

Anticipating every less-than-accessible feature in your office or storefront is probably an impossible task, but luckily there are architectural and design consultants available to do that work for you. 

Bringing in such a consultant to take a look and offer suggestions on how to make your space physically usable for the largest number of people possible takes minimal effort and is a sign to your employees that their comfort is essential to you.  

Offering more options for remote work could also entice employees who have difficulty making it into the office to continue their time with the company. 

3. Update Your Content and Marketing Materials 

Most companies these days rely on social media, digital marketing and other forms of press to drive the majority of their customer base. 

So, if the content isn't easily interpretable by all, a company could be missing out on large swaths of clients and talented employees alike. This means being able to read, see or hear the message at hand properly. 

Including subtitles on videos, adding alternative text to images and providing recordings alongside text are all simple best practices to make your content more accessible. 

After all, being able to communicate well with your employees and prospective clients is vital to your company's growth, no matter the type of business. 

Conclusion

Making sure your company is welcoming all groups of people is crucial if you want to cultivate and maintain respect within your industry. It's also the only way to hold onto the best employees and clientele. 

Some simple adjustments can make a noticeable difference when it comes to your company's level of accessibility.