Having a gleaming new shop front is not the end of the story. Disabled customers need to gain access to your shop or business – this isn’t just common sense, it’s now UK law. Easy access benefits more than just disabled people though. Consider elderly people, parents with pushchairs and very young children. It even helps parcel delivery services or customers with heavy shopping.
Any installation now has to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) of 1995 as well as current building regulations. When considering disabled access to buildings, take into account physical disablities and those relating to sight (partial or full blindness) and hearing too.
New installations are expected to fully comply with current DDA legislation and standards of access. When refurbishing existing shop fronts you need to factor in the removal of any physical barriers to disabled access.
For more information on how your business can maintain full compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act, in particular relating to access to buildings, please contact us. For a quick look at the DDA legislation, take a look here: