customer service

photo: sherlock77

Customer service is an important part of every business. When it comes to customers with disabilities, though, the same standards don't always seem to apply. This is likely due to people not knowing how to best serve customers with disabilities, as well as people underestimating the importance of treating customers like me well.

Accessibility and a welcoming atmosphere make a huge difference. They're good business -
 I know when I find a restaurant, for example, that is accessible and whose staff treat me well, I'm likely to return regularly (and I'm a good tipper!). Little things make a big difference, like greeting me when I come in, looking at and talking to me as well as whoever is with me, and bringing me my own menu.

Stop Ableism, an organization based in Ontario, has a quick accessibility test you can take to see how welcoming your business is to people with disabilities. The Ontario government also has some resources to help businesses become more accessible.

If you'd like to provide excellent customer service to everyone, including people with disabilities, but aren't sure how, there are some guidelines here. They're a pretty good summary; the only thing I would add would be tips for customers who may not speak. For more specific advice, York University has some really thorough tips on interacting with customers with  a wide variety of disabilities. You can also find some good information as well as individualized tip sheets for different disabilities here.