If you’re going to own a business in 2023, then you probably need to give some thought to how
you’re going to be inclusive and supportive of people no matter where they come from or what
they look like in life – it’s the basic creed of any good business owner never to intentionally
alienate a possible customer or upset a community of people because that can trash your
reputation. However, a lot of business owners don’t think about designing a company which is
inclusive of people and supports disabled folks.
That might sound curious but it is ultimately true. People have a responsibility to try and support
disabled folks as much as possible but when it comes to business plans and ideas, that doesn’t
always happen, which is strange. You’d think that a business in 2023 would surely be designed
for anyone to access, but that’s not always the case. A shop which isn’t accessible for people
who have mobility issues, or a product which isn’t marked in such a way that disabled people
can appreciate it happens all the time. We aren’t saying that any business sets out to be
exclusionary in their practices, but it does happen inadvertently.
Most of the big business giants have made steps to be inclusive, of course – you’ve got spaces
like McDonald’s who are pretty inclusive with big open restaurants and accessible ways to order
food, but when you go a little smaller and look at the independent business owners or the
fledgling enterprises, they tend to fall a little short.
The problem is that a lot of businesses aren’t exactly what you’d call disability confident. This is
a problem because it means that a lot of people don’t feel like they can do business with
companies who aren’t capable of supporting disabled groups in the right way. It’s upsetting and
it is something we need to work on in the world of business.
There should be a proper emphasis on supporting people who are disabled and this can come
from working alongside these people to make sure they get the support they need. They
deserve to feel protected and like their needs have been met, and as we keep on saying, there
is no better group to meet the needs of people with disabilities than people who have disabilities
themselves. They are perfectly positioned to dispense advice and support as necessary.
We call on any business who isn’t confident to think about all aspects of their business – from
the product down to the way they do business, what that means for their company, and the way
they hire and support staff. All of these companies need to recognise the importance of giving
the support people need in places where it can do the most good. Every business in the future
should be confident in what they’re doing to support people with disabilities, even if it is
inconvenient – it’s 2023, we have to do better.