Your Guide to Disabled Access in Restaurants

Disabled access in restaurants is definitely something that requires a bit of thought. With a growing number of people registering to have a disability of some description, it’s clear that your business needs to be able to make a change or get left behind.

Legally speaking, you are under a certain obligation to make sure that you provide relatively good disabled access in restaurants. It’s important to make sure that you get this right, as otherwise there will be problems further down the line.

Making Changes

Unfortunately, it is a sad truth that despite being in 2020, a large portion of businesses in the UK do not have the correct level of awareness when it comes to disabilities, and have not made suitable adjustments to the business and the way that things are run to compensate for the limitations of others.

It is therefore very important to make sure that you make as many changes as possible to compensate for the fact that some people will have disabilities, as an overwhelming majority of people with these issues find that they feel they can no longer use certain businesses because there is a lack of disability awareness.

How to Change Things For the Better

 Thankfully, there are a large number of ways that you can make changes to a business in order to be more inclusive of those with disabilities.

• Make sure that you make physical changes to the structure and layout of the restaurant where you can. If this means widening the gap between tables so that a wheelchair can get through, or making sure that the seats are easily accessible so people can sit where they want to, it is important to make reasonable changes.
• Toilets should be much more inclusive, with a handicapped access toilet available for those who need it, and the carparks should also have a handicapped section for people who want to park close to the entrance to the building so that they can enter without having to make a long journey.
• Train your staff to be much more supportive and inclusive for people with handicaps. Make sure that they understand that these are people first, and not an issue, and that they are ready to communicate clearly, effectively, and be patient with people. Staff need to make sure that they understand how to approach someone with a disability so that they are not offensive or an inconvenience.

In conclusion, it is very important to make sure that you are properly accommodating people who have disabilities as a whole. You will understand if we want to make sure that you have put the maximum effort into creating the ideal solution for people with handicaps and disabilities. Remember that these are people, and will often be fiercely protective of their right to individuality and to do things on their own steam, so try not to be overbearing in your assistance. It’s often a case of gauging the needs of each person on a case by case basis, and this is something that can be taught to staff.