Change Can Be Good When Done Correctly

Around the region, businesses are figuring out how to operate and reopen in a post-COVID landscape. As they do so, decisions and changes will be rightfully made to reduce potential transmission. Those changes may be viewed as inconvenient for some people, yet for many of our customers and employees, it can negatively impact their ability to independently navigate their daily lives.

We will not get everything right on the first try. It is imperative to recognize that best practices will change based on new information and guidelines provided by federal, provincial, and municipal health officials. At the same time, consideration must be given to the accessibility requirements of the community.

Below are some aspects of customer and employee interactions that you may need to consider when redesigning your operations. Understand that at this time, there may not be a solution in place to address all of these. I encourage you to continually follow the recommendations of your local health unit and provincial regulations for physical distancing and enhanced hygiene practices. Reach out to them directly if you do not feel there are adequate guidelines in place to ensure safe and accessible business continuation.

Hearing

Facemasks are recommended when physical distancing cannot be safely or practically maintained. The use of facemasks poses a communication hurdle for the growing population of adults with hearing impairment. Results from the 2012 to 2015 Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) indicate that 40% of adults aged 20 to 79 report some form of hearing loss. Relying on lip reading and visual cues, persons with hearing impairment find communicating with someone wearing a facemask challenging or impossible.

Several facemask options have been introduced that include a clear plastic section over the wearer’s lips to enable visibility and ease of communication. As with all facemasks available today, there are varying levels of quality and research is strongly encouraged before purchasing any personal protective equipment for your staff.

Consider how your operations can continue to serve customers or employees that may be experiencing hearing loss. What steps have you taken to ensure effective communication if a facemask is required for interactions inside your business?

Vision

It is estimated that 1 in 9 Canadians will develop significant vision loss by the time they reach age 65. Two areas to consider when reopening include high-touch surfaces and physical distancing.

If your location offers Braille touchpoints – physical markers on surfaces to assist with navigation or specially designed keyboards accessible to the public – maintaining a high level of cleaning for those surfaces is important. The same considerations must be given for any shared headsets offered to ease navigating through self-serve reception areas or information kiosks.

Have new physical distancing models resulted in extra space between your products or employees and your customers?  Ensure that the size of your signage has been increased to accommodate the extra distance required for your customers to read menus, product details or pricing.

Original article in Business London Magazine, July 2020.

Mobility

Even more high tough surfaces are identified when we look at mobility. Handrails, ledges, glass cases, doors and automated door openers will also require extra focus when sanitizing the workplace. Avoiding these surfaces is not an option for many people using a cane or who simply experience more difficulty when walking (even if they do not have a device to assist them).

Many businesses have made hand sanitizer more readily available for employees and the public. When doing so, be sure that your sanitizer stations provide ample room for maneuverability and are placed at a height that is easily accessible by persons using wheelchairs or walking with the assistance of crutches.

Self-Serve

Our increasingly self-service world already involves many high-touch surfaces including tablets and keyboards which need to be safely maintained. These options are not a mere convenience for many of your customers – they are a lifeline. Persons with impaired speech, hearing and eyesight impairments rely on these tools to effectively communicate and navigate throughout your organization. Please resist the temptation to remove these devices without adequate accessibility solutions in place to compensate.

To lessen the amount of interaction,  your business may have implemented or is encouraging an increase in,   online ordering. Is this your first time creating an online order form for your company?  You may not realize there are guidelines in place to help ensure your business is as easy to navigate in the virtual world, as it is in the real one. Depending on the size of your business, those guidelines become issues of compliance. You can find out more information at https://www.ontario.ca/page/how-make-websites-accessible

Lastly, as we learn to incorporate new safety measures into our business interactions, I feel we cannot sacrifice our humanity and kindness along the way. For all customers and employees, but especially those who are more negatively impacted by the shifting landscape, the simple act of making eye contact, positively acknowledging them and offering up a smile goes a long way.