Understand accessible customers

Jane and Megan

Megan is autistic and has learning disabilities. She is very cautious when visiting new places with mum Jane who does the trip planning on her behalf. We spoke to Jane and asked her what’s important to them both when deciding where to visit and when venturing out. 

Jane explained that Megan can be quite anxious when visiting somewhere new. This requires Jane to do a lot of planning beforehand.

Having a website that offers accessibility information, such as the availability of a Changing Places Toilet, is crucial for Jane.

“I’ll take a good look at a venue’s website to see if they have anything which will help us, so it’s great if the accessibility information is easy to find. If I can’t find it in a couple of clicks, I give up and look somewhere else.”

Making sure to have lots of images that show exactly what they can expect also helps reduce Megan’s anxiety.

“It’s not really the swish marketing images she needs to see, it’s the ‘ordinary’ things like the car park, the entrance, the uniforms which staff wear, the café and the toilets etc.”

Key accessibility information Jane looks for:

• fast-track queuing policy
• Changing Places Toilet
• designated quiet space
• sensory backpack available (contain ear defenders, fidget toys, copy of sensory story)

The importance of staff

“Having friendly, helpful staff who have some understanding of autism is key for us. It’s not only the autistic person who needs support and understanding, but also whoever is supporting’

 Just a friendly face and someone saying ‘how can I help’ makes a world of difference. We might have had a really early start or had little sleep and perhaps arrive a little frazzled, so some calm and positive support and the offer of help is incredibly welcome. There are times, such as in the middle of a ‘meltdown’ when I might not know how someone can help, but I’ll be really glad that they asked!”

Caroline, Jane and Janet

Caroline, Jane and Janet are deaf and use British Sign Language (BSL). We visited them at their local Deaf Club and asked them to tell us about what helps or could be improved when it comes to planning visits and taking trips.

Emergency notification provision

The group explained that to feel safe they need to know they’ll be alerted in the event of an emergency. Does the business have:

• flashing fire alarms to alert when there is a need to evacuate
• vibrating pillow pads in hotel room which vibrate and if the fire alarm goes off

Communication is key

Knowing in advance how information is communicated to deaf customers is extremely important. Caroline, Jane and Janet talked about the difference staff training and technology can make to their enjoyment.

“When we arrive somewhere communication is key, so it’s important that staff are aware of how to communicate. Facing us and ensuring that there is good lighting is useful, along with avoiding jargon as this supports people who are able to lip-read.

“It’s also about providing alternative methods which are suitable for us. Caroline once visited a castle and when she arrived, they gave her some information to read through which was really thoughtful.

“We also need to know whether there is information in BSL offering available during our visit. This might be in the form of BSL signed tours or perhaps BSL signed videos on an iPad or screen. It is ideal if any videos provided on the website have BSL signing too, along with captions, as not all deaf people use BSL.

“There is also ‘Sign Video’ or ‘Sign Live’ which offer live interpretation on a phone or iPad meaning that we can communicate far more easily and understand what people are saying. Where this is available it is really helpful to know in advance as it can give us the added confidence to visit.

A signed video is good for us at places like hotel receptions because otherwise we don’t know what staff are trying to tell us. A video with BSL signing which communicates key things such as the ‘check in’ procedure and meal times would be amazing.

Without Sign Video or Sign Live a paper and pen is the best thing! Although it takes time, it is really useful: poor communication can lead to misunderstandings and arguments which can be very stressful and spoil a trip or holiday."

Staff training

Caroline, Jane and Janet offered us the following thoughts on why training matters:

• Training is really important, as staff members often don’t know how to communicate with a deaf person and sometimes shout.
• Knowing how to communicate effectively or understanding a few basic BSL signs is so helpful.
• Make sure that all staff have had the training too: that way when there are staff changeovers, we’ll still get a good level of service.

“With deafness, you can’t see the disability so it’s about being aware. When a business gets is right it makes us feel really good, we’ll spread the word and we will return.”

Slyvia and Phil

Sylvia, who is a wheelchair user, travels with husband Phil both for pleasure and as part of Phil’s role as a sports journalist and commentator. We met up with them both and invited them to share their experiences.

Website information

“We love visiting new places and travel a lot! There are an increasing number of businesses providing great experiences for travellers like us, so wherever we go we look at the website to see what the accessibility is like. We tend to look on an ‘Accessibility’ tab or a ‘Plan Your Visit’ tab, and if the information isn’t there we give up and find somewhere else.”

The most important things Sylvia and Phil need to know are:

• can we get in
• can we get round
• can we get to the toilet

“We’ve previously asked businesses whether they’ve got an accessible toilet and they’ve said ‘yes,’ but then we’ve found that the toilets are downstairs, so it’s important that any information provided is accurate. With larger sites, we’d like information on the path surfaces across the site and also whether there are any gradients to help us plan our visit too.”

Photographs

For the Sylvia and Phil photographs are great, but they need to be useful photographs.

For example, with an accommodation business:

• they need to show room layouts with the space available
• can you tell what facilities are in the rooms
• do they show grabrails and toilet frames in the bathrooms

“A floorplan of the bedrooms with accurate measurements is absolutely ideal, along with a plan of the bathroom as this helps us know where the toilet is in relation to other things.”

Contacting a business

“We’ll sometimes telephone the business in advance as well as looking online but getting to speak to the right person in advance can be difficult. This is particularly the case for places like restaurants when anyone can answer the phone, so it would be great if business had a list of FAQs next to the phone, or a named person who is the dedicated contact for accessibility. Even if they’re not there at the time, I’ll then know who I need to speak to.”

Arrival and parking

Slyvia and Phil look for:

• parking spaces wide enough to fully open the car door
• hard, level surfaces suitable for wheelchair users
• an easy route to the main entrance

“We sometimes struggle to get through doors, particularly ‘pull’ doors, so one simple ‘top tip’ would be for venues to have a magnetic stop which keeps doors open so that wheelchair users can pass through easily, both ways.”

Trained Staff – they make a big difference

“Often, staff aren’t aware of accessible features and facilities. We went somewhere recently and the staff didn’t know how to open the double door to let us in, so it’s making sure that all staff are aware of the simple, practical things like that, as well as how to provide a warm welcome, which really does make all the difference to our experience.”