Learning the ropes.

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“Embarking on my journey as a representative for an online company has been quite the challenge, but I’m quickly learning the ropes. It’s not like customers are lining up with their wallets open, ready to hand over their hard-earned cash. No, no, no. I have to earn their trust and prove myself as a worthy business partner. It’s a slow and steady process, but I’m confident that once I’ve won them over, they’ll keep coming back for more and even spread the word to their nearest and dearest. My current mission is to expand my clientele by growing my Facebook group. It’s a big job, but someone’s gotta do it!”

Photo by Daria Obymaha on Pexels.com
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Dear businesses,

If you own a business be absolutely fantastic if you could give accurate and up-to-date information detailing your accessibility.

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At the moment if someone wants to know detailed access information, quite often it means that they need to to phone or email the company direct to find out further information as only the basics, if that, are put on websites.

Putting a wheelchair symbol on your website purely suggests that you believe that someone who uses a wheelchair can access your services.

What I want to know is whather you have a disabled loo, disabled parking spaces, do you have a lowered desk inside?

Are you all on one level, and if not do you have a lift? If you don’t have a lift do you have a second floor, I want to know what services I can on access and what I can’t. Do you provide an alternative method of access?

If you are a cafe or restaurant do you have tables of different heights that’s allowing people to choose whichever it is more comfortable for them?

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Hotels is no good just to say you have an accessible room. We need to know more information how much space is there to get around the room, does accessible bathroom have a shower or Bath? Do you provide a hoist? How do I access the room does it use a key card or a swipe card? How high is the bed?

All these things may seem silly to you, but it ensures but we get a room suitable for us and you don’t get lots of hassle because we complain.

You might not be 100% accessible, just be honest we would rather know! You might be accessible for someone who has mobility issues, but it’s not for a wheelchair user. So put that on your website.

This is just a few ideas but you get the gist.

Need a wee?

This is something we all need to do, it is a basic human need. So you probably don’t think about you just had to the toilet and then go back to whatever you were doing.

If you use a wheelchair or have other access needs then this basic need becomes slightly trickier. Where is the nearest new you can use? Is it locked, and if so do you have a key? Is it being used as a storage cupboard? Is there an emergency pull cord for you if necessary? Maybe you need a hoist, or grab rails, or enough room to manoeuvre your chair to enable transferring, is the room big enough?

They are more and more changing places toilets been added to buildings nowadays which is fantastic, however, not all of them I registered on the changing places website which means that people looking for them are not aware of there existence.

If you know of one, or just added one to a building yourself, please please register it. This will go long way in making many people’s lives easier. Allowing them to enjoy time out doing different things with family, friends, go to work, or hospital appointments etc…

The other upside of this is that you will also bring more business to your company, and to the local area, as people who rely on these loos will be able to go out more. Travelling further, and have longer days out.

If you want to create one of these changing places loos, or you want to register one that already exist, or you just need to find one yourself. Then please go to this website it will have the information you need. https://www.changing-places.org/

A toilet.

Grind Less and Glide More

By Amy S. Hilliard A lot has been written lately about Quiet Quitting, the #Soft Life, and women losing ambition as we have gone through the pandemic and seen COVID change the way we live and the priorities we used to hold dear.  I know.  When it was announced on May 14, 2022, that 1 […]

Grind Less and Glide More

Emergency, evacuation!

Do you own a business in England, UK? Then please read on.

I have no doubt that you have an emergency evacuation plan for fires etc….. but within that have you done a risk assessment and as a result have ready a evacuation procedure for disabled people, how would a wheelchair user be able to evacuate the building?

If you’re upstairs then the lift will be out of action, so what’s the alternate procedure, do you have an evacuation chair and do your staff all know how to use it?

If you have one, then please ensure the staff have been trained in using it.

I have added a link below so you can find out more about the process, and government guidelines.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-means-of-escape-for-disabled-people/fire-safety-risk-assessment-means-of-escape-for-disabled-people-accessible-version

Keeping in touch.

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In what ways do you communicate online?

I use the internet to communicate in so many varying ways, here are a few.

WhatsApp via my mobile phone to keep in contact with family, friends, colleagues, service providers, and more.

Emails to communicate with business, and do more official stuff that’s not really suitable to do in a casual way such as WhatsApp or Messenger. Things that I want to keep a written record of, I am deaf and don’t always find the phone easy as I can struggle to hear the other person, and follow a conversation.

Occasionally I’ll use video chat software on the laptop, mobile or other technology such as a Meta (Facebook) Portal. But I’m not a big user of video messaging.

Like most people I use social media to communicate with and keep in touch with people.

I also use some forums, and websites to exchange messages and information as well.

Mostly I’ll use my mobile phone, but for writing on here I vary between the phone and using the laptop.

What about you?