Social enterprise group Purple have launched a new campaign calling on restaurants and hospitality businesses to improve their Disability Awareness training for staff.
Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health, Penny Mordaunt, recognised in a DWP report on the issue that poor customer service for people with disabilities often stems from staff concerns about causing unintentional offense.
From a consumer’s perspective, the unnecessarily challenging experience of using restaurants and hospitality outlets for people with physical, sensory, or learning disabilities looks to be costing the sector £1.8bn a month in lost custom.
The campaign, called ‘Help Me Spend My Money‘, aims to see all customers receiving the same levels of service, regardless of any disabilities. It can also benefit hospitality operators for staff to be aware of ‘invisible disabilities’ – those that are not immediately apparent.
“Four in five disabled people have a hidden impairment, so it isn’t always obvious that they might need additional assistance” says Purple CEO, Mike Adams. Businesses are being asked to sign up to a charter that improves accessibility both online and in premises, as well as incorporating Disability Awareness training.
The purchasing power of the disabled community in the UK, known as ‘the Purple Pound’, is as much as £249bn annually. So why not welcome new and repeat customers to your business by taking the lead on a staff training initiative? Our CIEH Level 2 Assured Disability Awareness training course can get you and your team up to speed with minimum fuss.
The online course teaches staff how best to help people with all types of disability – whether they have mobility problems or need to communicate in a specific way, and how to be helpful without causing offence or overstepping boundaries.
A simple email or call to 01325 734 885 can make a positive change for you and your customers.
