Are you and your company "Disability Friendly"?

I say this without in disrespect for anyone, especially those afflected with any type of disability.

Over the last few years I have become well aware of the needs of those with a disability. I look at the location of parking spaces, whether or not there is access on sidewalks, walkways, doorways and even elevators for anyone who is disabled. I become more aware of the problems that thousands face each day when I had surgery last year and had to use a wheelchair for a month.

I was shocked to see the struggle that wheelchair bound men and women go through just shopping. Items were to high to reach, or you had to bend over freezer walls, hard to open doors and more. Just getting into many of the stores was a chore in itself. Handicap parking was located in the front of most places, but many of them had you parking far off to the side of the building or down in the parking areas where you were put in traffics way. Getting into many businesses was a chore because they had no access to sidewalks and no handicap parking at all. In several stores I could not get the wheelchair through the isles because of items in the way, or too much stuff in the isles.

Many businesses forget about those who are handicap or disabled when they sit their business up. Can they get to your business from the sidewalk, through your front door, into your offices, and into the bathrooms if they have public access?

Now the reason I bring this whole matter up is this, my husband is in a wheelchair. Hes very computer smart, wants to work, yet everytime hes tried to talk to someone about a job they use one excuss after another to put him off. He finshed real estate school and wants to go and get his license, but was told by several brokers as well as agents to try another field as they could see no way for him to work in real estate. We have talked about working as a team, I do the leg work and he does the paperwork. Don't most teams do that in real estate anyway? Here is a man that wants to work and pay his way through life, and yet he has had road block after road block put in front of him.

We recently went to a business in a town close to us, and they not only did not have handicap parking, they had no access to their sidewalk, no wheelchair access to their front door, and we had to push him in through a delivery entrance only to have to meet with the person in the hall because they had all step downs to each office. This was an attorneys office!  We have since found one to handle our affairs that is Disability Firendly!

I don't take things for granted anymore since my husband and I were married 4 years ago. I notice everywhere we go whether or not a business or home is accomidating to those with disbilities. It still surprises me that many still are not!

Are you and your company Disability Friendly? Do you have access for them to enter and access what you have to sell, service or provide?

Heres a test, try this for the next few days: Where ever you go see if you can notice the access possibilites for those who are handicap and disabled. Put yourself in their place. Then look and see if your business is capable of granted access to all your customers!