Prioritizing accessibility in your workplace can improve the environment for all your customers, boost your revenue, and improve your hiring and staff retention. Interested in learning more?
This document offers the perfect jumping-off point. To have an accessible workplace, you need to take steps toward removing barriers in workspaces, employment practices, and workplace culture.
A few small changes can have big ripple effects. If you are ready to demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity and attract diverse customers and talent to your business, then let’s start with a basic accessibility check-in.
Download the Workplace Accessibility for Small Business Owners Checklist
A note about language: To honour both person-first language preferences and identity-first preferences, we have alternated between the two throughout this article. You may not be familiar with some of the disability terminology in the accessibility and inclusion space. Be patient as you familiarize yourself with the language and stay curious about understanding disability types and accessibility.
Accessibility Check-In For Small Businesses
Let’s do an accessibility check-in for your small business to identify, remove, and prevent barriers. Barriers are anything in an environment that hinders one’s full participation in society, limits functioning, or creates obstacles for people. By addressing barriers, we are creating an inclusive environment that accommodates all abilities.
Below is a list of some common barriers to accessibility and inclusion that people with disabilities often face in the workplace. This is not a comprehensive list of all accessibility considerations. Not every aspect of accessibility listed here will make sense for your unique business, but you can think of this as a brief overview to get you started.
Tip: Brainstorm unique areas of your business where you can apply an accessibility lens and then work to remove any barriers that exist in those areas.
Attitudinal Accessibility
What it is: Promoting inclusive behaviours and ideas, while limiting assumptions, so that everyone is treated equally and can participate fully.
Examples of accessibility done right:
- Avoiding preconceptions and assuming that an employee who has a disability is able to do a task.
- Using language that is inclusive, welcoming, and respectful.
- Not questioning the need for accommodations such as mobility devices, assistive technology, or flexible working conditions.
How to get started:
- Set an example and purposefully work to create an inclusive culture in the organization.
- Promote awareness and understanding of disability-related issues.
- Make disability awareness and accessibility considerations part of your everyday workflow.
- Provide ongoing training sessions or workshops to raise awareness among staff.
- Encourage the use of inclusive language.
- Become aware of subtle behaviours, called microaggressions, that may unintentionally exclude people with disabilities.
- Review your policies and practices to ensure they are accessible and inclusive.
Tip: You are already improving accessibility by doing this work! Share this guide with a friend or colleague and start a conversation about accessibility today.
Digital and Technological Accessibility
What it is: Removing barriers to websites, online materials, and technology used in the workplace.
Examples of accessibility done right:
- Websites or apps that can be accessed by a screen reader or other assistive technology device.
- Materials that are available in alternate formats.
- Images that include alternative text.
- Videos that include captions or accurate transcripts.
How to get started:
- Consider how people using screen readers, alternative input devices, and voice recognition technology navigate your digital spaces.
- Become aware of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for improving digital accessibility and incorporate them into your digital practices.
- Whenever possible, provide materials in alternate formats like large print, high contrast, braille, and American Sign Language.
- Always include captions and accurate transcripts for videos and alternative text for images.
- Use accessibility checkers like the WAVE Website Accessibility Checker or the WebAim Colour Contrast Checker.
- Show your commitment to accessibility and inclusion by creating an Accessibility Statement proudly displayed on your website.
Environmental Accessibility
What it is: Creating physical environments that don’t limit access and allow for equal participation by everyone.
Examples of accessibility done right:
- Washrooms, entryways, or workplace areas can be accessed by a person using a wheelchair or other mobility device.
- Signage that is provided with large print, symbols, and braille.
- Furniture or countertops that can be adjusted.
- Consideration of lighting or sounds to limit sensory challenges.
How to get started:
- Remember that improvements to the physical environment not only help disabled people; they are often useful to everyone.
- Check out the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) program to learn about improving the accessibility of the built environment and to request an accessibility audit.
- Involve employees and customers with disabilities in the evaluation of your built environment.
- Include accessibility improvements in your annual budget.
- Create a system for reporting accessibility issues.
Tip: The Workplace Accessibility Grant offers up to $5,000 to eligible businesses to improve accessibility.
Emergency Preparedness Accessibility
What it is: Preparation for the extra needs of disabled people that may be necessary during an emergency evacuation, when providing emergency communications, or when recovering from an emergency event.
Examples of accessibility done right:
- Presence of accessible emergency equipment, such as visual alarms for people who are deaf or hard of hearing or emergency evacuation chairs for those who may have difficulty navigating stairs.
- Easy access to exits.
- Including people with disabilities in your emergency planning.
- Pre-organized, designated support people for during or after an emergency.
How to get started:
- Review your policies and consider how disabled people could face barriers in your workspace during an emergency.
- Create individual accommodation plans for all employees with disabilities.
- Provide annual emergency and disability safety training to all staff.
- Consider the functional needs of everyone who may interact with your organization and prepare accordingly.
Customer Service Accessibility
What it is: Limiting barriers to accessing programs, services, and events, while increasing positive interactions with all disabled people.
Examples of accessibility done right:
- Encouraging interactions with someone who has a disability.
- Speaking to the disabled person, rather than their caregiver.
- Speaking in a tone or volume that is appropriate to the person’s age, needs, or situation.
How to get started:
- Focus on the customer’s functional needs rather than on their disability.
- Train staff to never treat someone with a disability like a burden and to be aware of resources to support their functional needs.
- Ask questions instead of making assumptions.
- Be patient and flexible, allowing for extra time if required.
Tip: You will attract more clients to your business and better serve people with disabilities when you prioritize accessible customer service.
Employment Accessibility
What it is: Creating inclusive and accessible policies, procedures, and hiring practices that allow everyone to participate fully in all aspects of work.
Examples of accessibility done right:
- Removing unnecessary qualification requirements and including an accommodation statement in all job postings.
- Customizing job duties to specifically fit the strengths of a candidate who has a disability.
- Reviewing all policies to ensure inclusive language and procedures.
- Providing the option for a working interview, where candidates show their abilities to perform specific tasks.
How to get started:
- Check out the Disability Inclusive Employer Self-Assessment tool to assess aspects within your organization that could be improved.
- Review and modify policies and procedures to be more inclusive.
- Consider remote meeting accommodations, flexible work arrangements, accommodations for health appointments, and a reasonable accommodation process.
- Ask candidates about their accommodations before the interview process to ensure equal opportunities. Provide accommodations and alternatives based on their feedback.
- Make a commitment to accessibility by joining the President’s Group Community of Accessible Employers – it is free to join.
Tip: Offering remote positions or majority-remote roles can help you tap into an entirely different pool of candidates with disabilities, and you can benefit from their diverse perspectives.
Starting Your Accessibility Journey
Once you have identified some areas for improvement, it’s time to prioritize them based on impact and feasibility. Start with low-cost, high-impact changes that you can implement quickly.
Accessibility is a journey, not a destination. Now that you’ve started to make changes, it’s time to keep up the momentum. Schedule periodic assessments and continuously update and refine your accessibility plans to ensure that the measures you’re taking are effective and that you continue to address new challenges and barriers as they arise.
Finally, talk about disability with your community. Share your commitment to accessibility, share what you’ve learned and implemented, and ask for feedback.
To take your journey further, you may want to hire an accessibility expert or partner with a disability organization. Remember that Small Business BC is here in your corner.
Continue your Accessibility Journey with SBBC
Small Business BC is a non-profit resource centre for BC-based small businesses. Our Workplace Accessibility Resources page is full of tips, tools, and more to support your next stage.
This guide was developed in consultation with Melissa Lyon of Accessibility & Inclusion Matter Consulting.
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
