Providing Better Service to Customers with Disabilities – Part 2

Providing Better Service to Customers with Disabilities – Part 2
Here are some ways you can provide better service to your customers with disabilities:
• If you can’t understand what someone is saying, just politely ask again.
• Ask before you offer to help – don’t just jump in. Your customers with disabilities know if they need help and how you can provide it.
• Find a good way to communicate. A good start is to listen carefully.
• Look at your customer, but don’t stare. Speak directly to a person with a disability, not to their interpreter or someone who is with them.
• Use plain language and speak in short sentences.
• Don’t touch or address service animals – they are working and have to pay attention at all times.
• Ask permission before touching a wheelchair or piece of equipment.
• If you’re not sure what to do, ask the customer, “May I help you?”
Need more help? Get Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act training – Customer Service Standard.