important commercial decision too. An estimated 10 per cent of Europe's. 457m are disabled. Statistics such as these are
thebusinessofdisability
Michael McGrath asks what the Disability Discrimination Act has meant for your business an opportunity, obligation or inconvenient reality? Michael McGrath wants businesses to create innovative strategies
Profiting from compliance
F
ive years have passed since phase III of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) came into force. This ensured that the business of providing integrated access and inclusive amenities became an important commercial issue and a measureable opportunity. As an event organiser, you know it’s the right thing to do, you know you have to do it and you know it makes sound economic sense. The DDA aims to ensure that disabled people aren’t treated less favourably than people who aren’t disabled. An event organiser has a legal duty to anticipate that disabled people will want to use their services - ie attend ‘events’ - and consequently make sure they are able to do so. Organisers have a legal duty, therefore, to make reasonable adjustments to services and premises so that disabled people can access them. Competition for knowledge and practical strategies in driving additional revenue by exploiting the disability business case, through for example commissions earned through venue bookings, is on the increase. Take the 2012 Olympics – as the host city and under the agreement of the International Olympic & Paralympic Committees, London must prepare for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This global event gives Britain
The only disabled person in the world to have successfully led expeditions to two of the most inaccessible places on earth - the North and South Poles, Michael McGrath is indeed an inspirational business speaker. He wants to create more of what he calls ‘accessibility-traction’ in the psyche of event organisers by challenging industry leaders to invest more ‘boardroom time’ into creating ‘innovative strategies that profit from difference’. the opportunity to provide the best possible facilities for disabled visitors. Under the legislation, event organisers may face legal challenges from disabled people unable to access an event. Venues including conference centres, hotels and exhibition halls that don’t have appropriate facilities are finding their competitors attracting the business that was once theirs. Events are big business so making them accessible is not simply a legal requirement. With around 12.4m disabled people in the UK and a combined annual spending power upwards of £91bn each year, it’s an important commercial decision too. An estimated 10 per cent of Europe’s 457m are disabled. Statistics such as these are important in building the business case to create an offer or brand that might appeal or target these demographic groups. Not only do event organisers and venues have legal responsibilities under the DDA but they can also
Disability - some of the facts • As the EU population gets older, the incidence of disability will increase • Statistics show that you’re either going to die young or acquire a disability in later life • In 2010, approximately 40 per cent of the UK population will be over 45 years of age, the age at which the incidence of disability increases exponentially • 2 per cent of the working age UK population becomes disabled every year • 78 per cent of disabled people acquire their impairment aged 16 or older • A graduate with a work-limiting disability in the UK is more likely to want work than an unqualified person with no disability • 6 per cent of first class honour degrees are gained by students known to have a disability • The employment rate for disabled people has risen from 38 per cent to 48 per cent in the past 10 years. It is, however, far behind the 74 per cent of working aged adults in jobs in the UK. The Government wants to improve this. Continued on page 39
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profit from the difference. Being a disability-confident event organiser will not only lift you out of the legal risk zone but also add greater brand and stakeholder equity as well as revenue to your bottom-line. There are many excellent bestpractice examples where event organisers or venue providers not only continue to proactively exploit the opportunities that have arisen as a direct result of DDA legislation but have also embedded real profitgenerating strategies in their business. One such organisation is the Live Group, who deliver fully integrated event solutions. One of the group’s companies, VenuesLive, has made it their “mission to raise standards of accessibility in venues”. Over many years, VenuesLive has compiled a database of meeting facilities “that highlight every aspect of accessibility and the adjustments that have been made. These details are then passed onto our clients in order for them to make truly informed decisions about where to hold their events.” I believe that the business case must be closely aligned to an organisation’s purpose, values and culture. Poorly designed websites, for example, can be distressing for visually impaired people; conversely, there are some brilliantly designed functional internetbased registration and invitation systems. Online progress is slow, however, and like the DDA, the British Standards Institute’s guidance notes on accessible design are yet to be embraced and fully integrated. Some 75 per cent of FTSE 100 sites still don't meet basic accessibility standards. Clearly, there’s room for improvement. If your business is not profiting from difference, you can be sure one or more of your competitors is – so, if you’re still trying to work out how you can turn legal compliance into business benefit, look no further than the emergence, some might say plethora, of award categories in this space. Described as the Oscars of the hospitality world, the CATEYS awards has an Accessibility category sponsored for the second year in 2009 by Personnel Today. The M&IT Awards include Best Disabled Services (being rebranded as the Access Excellence Award for 2010), sponsored by Conference Centres of Excellence. This year imago at Burleigh Court won the Gold Award. Further information on the DDA is available from the Equality & Human Rights Commission: www.equalityhumanrights.com
Ten commercial reasons to address DDA 1
£91bn estimated annual spending power of disabled people
2
Accessibility is an important commercial consideration
3
Approx 12.4m disabled people in the UK
4
Disabled people can and do influence choice
5
Everyone wins when access is better
6
Service providers have a legal duty to think about access
7
Making reasonable adjustments reduces liability and risk
8
Damage to reputation
9
Loss of business
10
Compensation expense
Top tips for finding an accessible venue 1 If you plan to undertake an access audit yourself, use the guidance and toolkits available and set aside enough time. Remember to look at external approaches, anterooms and any facilities at the venue such as public telephones or vending machines 2 Check that access features are maintained and managed. For example, disabled toilets are sometimes used as storage space; loop and infrared systems for people with hearing impairments may not be properly operated or maintained 3 Find out about awareness training for staff at the venue. Does the venue regularly use agency staff or casual staff – will they have had disability awareness training? Will you or someone with an understanding of disability access issues be able to brief them before the event? 4 What policies and procedures does the venue have? Do they have a policy not to admit animals? In this case you must ensure that the policy does not extend to assistance dogs as this is likely to be unlawful 5 Find out about evacuation procedures. Do they take account of disabled people including people with sensory impairments and mobility impairments? Is information about evacuation and emergency procedures accessible in different formats such as Braille or large print or will you have to provide this information at the start of your event? 6 Think about the venue when it is full and your delegates and customers are moving around. Will the venue still be accessible? Will you need to think about leaving more space for people to manoeuvre or changing the timetable to allow more time for people to move around? 7 Carry out a risk assessment. This will help you to identify and remove or reduce any health and safety risks such as slippery surfaces, hazardous materials and risks from vehicles. Risk assessments should not lead to excluding certain groups of people - they are about keeping everyone safe. The Health and Safety Executive produces a short publication called ‘Five steps to Risk Assessment’ which you can download at www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/riskassess.htm
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