Costco Flyer - 05/01-05/31/2023 (Page 16)

according to the world of the world's population has some sort of disability build your business how to accommodate customers with disabilities by constance exley eople with disabilities are a large and underserved consumer group did you know that approximately one in five canadians over the age of 15 has at least one disability? or that seniors are canada's fastest-growing age lation? making your business accessible to them can have a positive impact on its bottom line language matters people with disabilities often say the most challenging barrier to overcome is and your staff about the various types of disabilities and what is considered respect- use people-first language-for example "person with a disability," "people with epilepsy" or "individual who uses a wheel- what term they prefer removing barriers many people are surprised to learn means that stairs aren't the main barrier for accessibility smart there are many things you can do to become a more acces- sible and inclusive business with low vision may need to have informa- speech disability may need you to repeat rephrase or write down what you've heard being able to sit down while being served in addition to letting customers know that they can request assistance from you there are other barriers you can easily versions of written and digital materials ensuring signs are clear and easy to read providing adequate lighting and offering sensory-friendly shopping times spreading the word ple with disabilities can easily navigate is engine optimization and can attract new standards for website accessibility out- lined in the web content accessibility the question to ask yourself is not why your business should be more accessible to can make life easier for those customers.■ offer accessibility aware- ness training to your staff increase the font size you bigger is better! add accessibility informa- tion to your website invite customers to contact you if they need assistance accessing your goods or services include people with various disabilities in your marketing materials.-ce nell chitty for your business constance exley ceo of accessibility services canada organizations how to make their marketing and communication tools accessible costco connection variety of essentials for small businesses from products to at costco.ca in "business delivery" and "services."