Disabled access and your business
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 demands that all public houses, clubs and restaurants equip their premises with access for disabled persons by 2004. This is to ensure that service providers do not discriminate against people with disabilities by providing a lower level of service or access, than to non-disabled users.
There are very few exemptions. Although initially, small employers (fewer than 15 employees) were allowed until 2006 to comply, the legislation has been amended and will now become law in 2004. This legislation clearly holds many issues that small and large licensed service providers must consider and prepare themselves for.
It is important to become familiar and begin to research and prepare for this legislation now, not only in order to comply with the law but also in terms of catering for and satisfying disabled customers. There is an estimated 8.7 million people in the UK that have some sort of permanent impairment that might qualify them as disabled (Keynote, 2002). Furthermore, they have spending power of an estimated 50 billion a year.
By 2004, all service providers will have to have taken reasonable steps to ensure compliance with the DDA. All physical features that are likely to make it difficult for disabled people to use a service must be removed, altered or a reasonable means of access, such as the provision of wheelchair ramps, are to be provided.
Access system providers such as William P Whiland & Son Ltd. are happy to make a site visit to survey the premises and assess the access issues. William P Whiland is one of the few companies that can provide not only high quality Midthaug wheelchair access ramps in all shapes and sizes but have also become, reassures managing director David Mazzucco, "something of an expert on the DDA and can point clients in the right direction for their other disability provision."
In some instances, some public houses, clubs or restaurants may be situated in listed buildings, which causes concern. As a solution William P Whiland & Son Ltd. supply strong and durable semi permanent ramps that provide an ideal means for wheelchair access, and also come in useful for pushchairs and older customers.
William P Whiland & Son Ltd. is a long established Scottish family business which provides a wide range of high quality wheelchair access ramps from Norway's leading service provider, Midthaug. Excellent service and advice is provided by skilled and experienced staff. William P Whiland & Son Ltd is accredited by LRQA to ISO 9002 for quality assurance and ISO 14001 for our environmental systems.
