Small businesses from across the UK have been offered free disability awareness training to help them comply with upcoming anti-discrimination laws.
The RNID, the largest UK charity for deaf and hard of hearing people, have set up a series of courses for firms with less than 250 employees.
The training will attempt to give businesses an understanding of disability issues to ensure they do not prejudice customers and risk potential legal action.
Under the updated Disability Discrimination Act, small firms will have to ensure that their premises and services are easily accessible to disabled staff and customers by 1 October. Discrimination against disabled people will also be outlawed.
Companies that do not make the necessary changes, such as adapting workplaces or changing employment practice, could face damaging compensation claims.
The RNID said that its research has found that 69 per cent of employers are not planning to make any changes before the October deadline. The charity said that making changes would cost little and open firms up to the £50 billion spending power of disabled customers.
Irini Korompilia, of the RNID, said: “Discrimination often comes about from misconceptions of what disability is. To prevent organisational discrimination it is essential to shatter these stereotypes to truly make an organisation open to all customers.”
To find out more about the training schemes, call the RNID on 0207 296 8060 or email training.services@rnid.org.uk
