words Al Woods
Accessibility is the means by which we open up potential opportunities to a wider subset of people. Businesses tend to thrive when more people are able to use their services, enjoy their products, or attend their events, and so we could probably end the article here given the benefits of implementing this into your business plan are so obvious.
That said, just as with any worthwhile and renewed business approach, discussing how and why a practice is important should also be backed up by how to integrate it, and how to do so realistically, sustainably, and with care for all its permutations.
So for example – if you own a business premises that you’re renovating or extending, you may decide to use the best lift company to help format access between floors in the best possible way, as well as attend to its maintenance and care.
So – let’s consider how accessibility can be applied in more than one way, and how to apply it as a foundational operational marker of your firm as opposed to a nice luxury you sometimes provide:
Accessibility Ensures Robust Talent Acquisition
Hiring a diverse and multi-talented team is important for any business to thrive. Providing disability access isn’t just for your potential shop-floor customers or clients, but it may provide renewed access to the best employee you have ever hired. It can also be worthwhile to worn on implicit biases within your hiring team by removing identifying information outside of skills and experience from every resume reviewed by the panel. The wider your potential hiring metrics, the better off your will make use of the best talent.
Accessibility Helps You Deliver Value
Worthwhile accessibility can help you better deliver your product or service. An obvious example is rendering a service or a website in multiple languages, allowing those who may not be 100% versed in English to better understand and make use of your practical portfolio. Fonts designed for dyslexic readers can be helpful on product packaging too, as can imagery used in instruction manuals (especially in flat pack furniture), can apply to anyone regardless of their mother tongue. Sometimes, accessibility can help reduce the chance of irritation – like when a hip new bar, cafe or restaurant actually clearly explains what drinks and food is on offer as you’d expect to find everywhere else, and not letting artful presentation override that.
Accessibility Builds A Better Market
When businesses take the initiative for being accessible and applying that to a wider market, the market improves in the best way. For example, think of how many forward-thinking makeup brands took it upon themselves to address the unacceptable reality that those with darker skin rarely had access to foundation that matched their skin tone.
Now, we can look back and realize how discriminatory and near-shocking that was. Before, businesses underserved that audience and didn’t see a problem. This is how accessibility can correct problems, resolve issues, and even restore access to people who should never have been deprived it – even if an example like this may seem small on the surface, it has a big impact.
With this advice, we hope you understand the purpose of accessibility, how to integrate it, and just what the beneficial consequences of it are, both in business and industry-wide.
