Making your business accessible can help grow your business
Making your business more accessible to people with disabilities, whether they be customers, suppliers, business partners or even employees can help grow your business.
Bayside City Council is committed to making its community more accessible to the widest possible audience, and actively working to increase the accessibility and usability of its local businesses to people with disabilities.
Who are we talking about?
One in five of Australians have a disability. Over 14,000 of those people live in Bayside and over 4,000 in Bayside people need assistance in their day-to-day lives.
There is also a substantially higher percentage of older persons living in Bayside (85 years and over) when compared to metropolitan Melbourne. These people, their families and friends choose places to shop and socialise based on how accessible those places are. These people could be your customers, suppliers, business partners, or even employees.
When we say ‘disability’ we are talking about people who:
- Are blind or have trouble seeing.
- Are deaf or have difficulty hearing.
- Have difficulty moving around and may use a wheelchair, electric scooter, walking frame, crutches etc.
- Have trouble reaching and holding things.
- May not speak like you or may communicate in different ways to you.
- Find it difficult understanding.
- Need to rest often due to illness or injury.
Making your business accessible also helps:
- Older people
- Parents or carers with young children, prams, or strollers
- Pregnant Women
- People with heavy bags or shopping trollies
- Delivery people
- Emergency Officers
- Staff wellbeing and safety
What is Good Access?
Good Access means there are no physical or social barriers that prevent people from finding your business, safely accessing, moving around easily, and doing business with you at your place of business, whilst receiving good and respectful service.
Good Access allows everyone to:
- Find your business
- Access your business
- Move around safely outside and inside
- Find and pay for goods and services
- Get assistance if required
- Feel welcome
Good Access
Providing good access makes your business available for more customers, suppliers, business partners or even employees. It ensures that everyone can come into your business, buy goods or services, and spend money.
Improving access to your business will also help you meet your legal responsibilities.
Australian law says that customers with disabilities should be able to access your goods or services just like any other customer.
If a customer with a disability cannot do this, they could make a complaint of discrimination under the Victorian Anti-Discrimination Act or Federal Disability Discrimination Act.
There are also Local Laws regarding the use of footpaths for trading. Keeping the footpath and entrance clear of obstacles will not only help you meet Council’s requirements. Making your business more accessible also makes it safer for customers, suppliers, business partners and employees and it is beneficial for everyone.
This helps you meet your public liability and workplace safety responsibilities.
More Information and resources
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC)
Phone: 1300 292 153
Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
Phone: 1300 656 419
Tourism Victoria
Find information on Accessible Tourism
Accessibility Checklists
Visit City of Melbourne for accessibility checklists designed for different types of businesses including retail, recreation, culture, dining and tourism.