Special service
Here's a scenario. A blind person goes into a restaurant with a guide dog. The proprietor, of course, would never ban a guide dog. He's clued up about the law and "understanding" to boot, so he pats the (adorable) creature on the head, asks the owner if it needs a bowl of water and congratulates himself on the fact he knows how to provide good service.
Wrong. It wasn't good service. Not only was it rude to speak to the dog before the person, but the dog was at work. Although most people would know that, such incidents do occur, says Chris Grace, director at Individuall, which provides the hospitality industry with training and consultancy on disability issues.
His advice is: "Always ask the blind person what they would like to drink or eat first. Don't worry about the dog; the owner knows what to do with him."
So, as with most good service, looking after the needs of disabled guests is down to common sense. But it pays to be extra sure you and your staff are doing it right, because under the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), you are breaking the law if you treat customers with disabilities less favourably than other guests (see below).
According to Grace, training staff to look after disabled guests will ultimately enhance their service skills and your business. "It isn't just about training staff to work with disabled guests, it's about raising awareness of the customer generally," he says.
John Cousins, director of the Food and Beverage Training Company, agrees, pointing out that if you are providing good service in the first place, you will probably be complying with the DDA. "All customers have needs and some you would deal with as a normal part of F&B service, such as nut allergies," he says. "Recognising that all customers have needs is not new."
But obviously, serving people with disabilities does require some guidance. The British Hospitality Association, in conjunction with the Restaurant Association, is putting together a fact sheet to help employers meet the requirements of the DDA. In the meantime, we asked Grace to talk us through some of the key points.
Grace says a lot of the training Individuall does involves opening people's minds. Contrary to common perception, for instance, only 600,000 of the UK's 11.7 million registered disabled people are wheelchair users. By contrast, 8.7 million have hearing problems and 1.7 million have impaired sight.
As a wheelchair user, Grace acknow-ledges that most of the issues that affect him concern access rather than service. As long as he gets a fair choice of tables, he's happy. In a bar, however, he says staff should offer table service to anybody who can't stand for long or is in a wheelchair, so they don't feel excluded. The obvious benefit, of course, is that they might buy more drinks.
Other disabilities require more lateral thinking. Grace explains, for instance, that he always cuts off his beard when interviewing a deaf person so they can see his mouth more easily. Less drastic advice is that if someone with a hearing impairment comes into your restaurant or hotel, make sure your face is illuminated so they can lip-read and - although this is a maintenance issue - check that the hearing loops are working. Take the guest to a quiet area if necessary and speak clearly, but don't shout. "They aren't foreign," Grace says. If it's easier, he suggests using a pen and paper.
"Some will be offended, but most won't - it's a legitimate way of communicating."
Blind guests may find it easier if staff read menus, bills or information aloud. Because very few people are 100% blind (or deaf), he recommends providing print-outs in large text, but reckons there is no need to have a big pile of them that might go out of date. "Just whack them off in 16pt or 18pt when needed," he advises.
Similarly, because only 3% of people with sight impairments can read Braille, Grace reckons it isn't necessary to have it available on demand. "If the person complains, then say you can obtain the information for them in Braille - make sure you know how to get it in a reasonable time-frame - but it's unreasonable to expect such things as menus to be in Braille because they change so much."
As with any guest, staff should make sure a blind guest knows where things are - meeting rooms, loos and so on. And they will need to be shown the way. "Guide dogs can't read," says Grace.
But service can only go so far. For instance, it's helpful to show somebody with learning disabilities where the loos are, but no one is expected to take on the role of carer once they get there. "It's not reasonable to provide personal services," Grace says. "People need to make their own arrangements."
He also warns about giving too much help, suggesting that a generic question such as "Is there anything more we can do to make your stay more comfortable?" is more tactful. "You need to listen to what a person needs and then act," Grace says.
What most disabled people want is to be treated like everyone else, he says, but warns: "A minority will play at it and want extras because they have a disability."
Some may also be upset or annoyed if staff use inappropriate language. Terms such as "handicapped" or "invalid" should never be used.
So what about disabled customers who complain that they haven't been treated well? "If someone gets annoyed about political correctness, apologise," Grace says. "They're like any other customer. Ask them what term you should be using. And don't be put off - they could be grumpy for any number of reasons not related to being disabled. The key is to make people feel at ease. There will be some who react if staff don't use politically correct terminology, but the majority won't."
He also advises managers to treat bad behaviour among people with disabilities in the same way they would with any other guest. For instance, ask them to leave if they're drunk and abusive. But be aware that in some cases you might have to stretch the rules, for instance if somebody is unable to wear a jacket and tie to a formal event because of a disability.
There are no specific rules about what staff have to do to help disabled guests when, say, evacuating a building in a fire. What is clear is that staff shouldn't be put in a position where they or others are endangered because they're helping a disabled person. Grace stresses that employers should give thought to an evacuation plan with this in mind. If disabled guests are likely to be on floors away from level exits, the owners should ensure there are suitable escape routes or procedures to enable escape.
This all fits in with Grace's original point that, although employers and staff need some guidance on how to look after disabled guests, it's straightforward - and what they learn can only enhance their business. "It's just about good service," he adds.
The Law
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 is the impetus for change.
Since 2 December 1996:
It has been unlawful for service providers or employers to treat disabled people less favourably.
A reasonable adjustment must be made.
Since 1 October 1999:
Service providers have been required to take reasonable steps to:
Change policies, procedures or practices in order to provide a service to a person who is disabled; or
Provide auxiliary aids to enable service provision; or
Provide services by other means.
From 1 October 2004:
Where a physical feature makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of services, a service provider will have to:
Take reasonable steps to remove, alter or avoid that feature (considering those options in the order listed); or
Where that is impossible, provide the service by a reasonable alternative method.
Note: duties under the act are anticipatory, and all services are included, whether paid for or not.
Individuall
Individuall is a non-profit-making organisation, established and funded by hospitality businesses, intended to help the industry meet the standards set out in the Disability Discrimination Act and to enable businesses to tap into this increasingly large market segment.
Training packages include:
Welcoming Disabled Guests CD-Rom, £99 (trains 10 people).
Solutions pack, £25.
Contact Chris Grace, director, Individuall, tel: 01273 464518.
Communication tips
Disabled people are individuals just like everyone else, so don't make assumptions about their abilities or needs.
Speak clearly, and a little more slowly, to deaf and hard-of-hearing people. When talking to a deaf person, face them and ensure your face is in the light, speak clearly and naturally, and keep your hand away from your face.
When you first meet a blind person, introduce yourself. When you're going to move away, tell them. Don't leave them talking to an empty space.
When talking to a wheelchair user, if possible try to ensure that your eyes are at the same level as theirs, perhaps by sitting down. Don't lean on their wheelchair - it's part of their personal space. Don't kneel - it's patronising.
Never assume a disabled person needs help - always ask, listen and act appropriately.
People aren't medical conditions, so don't give them labels such as "epileptics", "suffering from", "afflicted by", "confined to" or "invalids".
Staff can be taught to use language that will not offend disabled guests - for example, saying "accessible toilet" rather than "disabled loo" - at the same time as recognising a range of relevant terminology.
Some phrases are acceptable. People who use wheelchairs do "go for a walk", blind people do "watch television" and deaf people do "hear about things". Common phrases such as these rarely cause offence.
As well as training staff to read out menus and specials boards, you can teach them to have a greater awareness of their surroundings - which areas of a restaurant could pose difficulties for a disabled guest? Ensure staff know what alternatives the restaurant can offer them.
You must waive the "no dogs" rule for people with guide dogs. On their arrival, welcome the dog owner and introduce yourself as quickly as possible. They might appreciate guidance to a table. Briefly explain the layout of the room and take their order at the table. Don't feed or pat the dog - guide dogs are specially trained to be in restaurants and bars and should curl up under the table.
Business sense
The Department for Work, Family and Pensions estimates that the "disabled pound" is worth about £45b a year nationwide, so investment in adjustments can be justified from a business perspective.
For more information, see:
Approved Document M of the Government's 1991 Building Regulations (currently under review).
British Standard 8300: Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people - code of practice.
Further information
Holiday Care (travel and holiday information and support for disabled and older people, their families, friends and carers). Tel: 0845 124 9971. Email: holiday.care@virgin.net.
English Tourism Council's National Accessible Standards website: www.accessibletourism.org.uk.
National Register of Access Consultants: www.nrac.org.uk.
For brief details on guide dogs and the law, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk/access, or call 0800 131717 (freephone).
Past articles, www.caterer.com.
Look out for The rest of Caterer's series on disability issues relating to the hospitality industry.
Contact us Are you making your business more disabled-friendly? Tell us how, so you can share your ideas with other readers. Contact caterer@rbi.co.uk.
