Re: Disability statistics

on 12/15/01 11:23 AM, Kynn Bartlett at kynn-edapta@idyllmtn.com wrote:

> At 11:27 PM -0500 12/14/01, Access Systems wrote:
>> I think there is a business case possible.  in fact I found that in the
>> Baltimore Metro Area using only minimum SS payments as the per person
>> income, which is low balling because some will be making more $$$
>> and using that number and census data it was figured that there would be
>> over 7million dollars per month of disposable income by these persons.
>> How much do you (the business) want of that??
> 
> How much would it cost to get it?
> 
> That's the business case.  Business is all about spending your money
> in the way that generates the most money.  If it will cost me $1M to
> advertise to blind people, and $25,000 to make an accessible web site,
> and there are only 20% of blind people online, then it may make sense
> to spend $1M to advertise to non-blind people who are online in greater
> numbers, and who constitute a greater percentage of the population.
> 
> Business case statistics of "how much money are available" do not help
> the cause of accessibility, because from a purely business standpoint,
> unless you are going to be a business which caters in large part to the
> needs of the disabled, it's probably not worth the cost to meet those
> needs.

I agree. That's why I generally stress that the core principles of
disability access are the same as those of good customer service.

What are some of the basics of good customer service?
* Business is inviting and comfortable.
* Listen to customer wants, questions, and concerns.
* Only requirement on customers is willingness to spend money.
* Customers can shop independently without feeling rushed (minimizes
staffing too).
* Several options are available to meet customer preferences.

What are some of the basics of accessible practices?
(See above substituting "wants" and "preferences" with "needs" if
necessary.)

Most people associate opening new markets with large up front expense and
many are content with existing markets. However, almost everyone is engaged
in trying to improve customer service within its existing market. That is
the budget money that needs to be the focus of efforts at improving access
for persons with disabilities.

If you can meet the accessibility standards well, you can be fairly
confident that you have good services available for all your customers.
Using the accessibility standards as part of a comprehensive business plan
allows the business to improve its existing efforts using its existing
budgets to better serve its existing customers AND you open a new market
with minimal additional effort.

--
Paul Koenig
pdkoenig@variablearts.com
http://www.variablearts.com/

Received on Sunday, 16 December 2001 01:09:31 UTC