Member Article

Businesses should "embrace benefits of accessiblity"

A local entrepreneur is making sure businesses in the North East to are providing accessible facilities for people with disabilities. Steve Wilkinson is urging businesses to take advantage of a launch period of free registration to the new online accessibility resource called Finding Ways.

A new internet resource designed to help its users find businesses with accessible facilities, Finding Ways not only lists businesses with good accessibility but also encourages satisfied customers to leave reviews and share their experiences - enabling reviewed businesses to benefit from personal recommendations.

The first 100 businesses to register on the site before 31 October 2007 can do so free for a period of six months.

Steve, managing director of Finding Ways, said: “The beginning of October will see the third anniversary of the section of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act requiring businesses to make alterations to their premises to provide access to their products and services - a section of the Act that should have made life much easier for those of us with disabilities.”

“However, as the Act continues to go largely un-enforced, many businesses are failing to comply with the guidelines laid down. The message Finding Ways wants to get across is that those businesses are effectively saying ‘no thank you’ to a share of the £80 million spending power attributed to the millions of people who simply can’t access their businesses!”

Finding Ways gives details of all registered businesses, regardless of the business sector, and the accessible facilities they offer. Once registered, businesses are encouraged to persuade their customers to provide reviews online, thereby sharing customer experiences and spreading the word about accessibility.

For more information about Finding Ways, or to register as an accessible business, visit www.findingways.com or call 0845 0945 146.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .