This is a contributor’s blogpost …

 

These days, each company and business is expected to have an open recruitment policy, so no discrimination takes place in the hiring process. This means that more and more disabled people are now being employed by office-based companies. In order for them to enjoy a comfortable workday, the company must take relevant steps to ensure that the entire workspace is fully accessible and equipped for disabled workers.

Have you recently been thinking that you should update your office to make it more accessible? Here are some ways you can do that.

 

Create Disabled Parking Spaces

If your office is lucky enough to have its very own car park, you should make sure that at least two of the spaces are designated as disabled parking spaces. These should only be used by people who have an official disabled parking badge. You might need to increase the size of these spaces as disabled people will benefit from having as much room as possible to help them get in and out of their vehicle. They should also be located as close to the main entrance to the building as possible.

 

Accessible And Well-Placed Furniture

Next time you buy some new office furniture products, you should try and find items that can be used by people with disabilities. The placement of these items in your office is also important. You should make sure that all your desks aren’t too close together so that there are wide walkways for wheelchair users, as it will help them get around the office.

 

Disabled Bathrooms

You will also need to make sure that the office bathrooms are suitable for people with disabilities. Ideally, you should have a disabled bathroom alongside the regular men’s and women’s. The disabled bathroom should have plenty of space for a wheelchair to maneuver about inside. There also needs to be an alarm so that the user can attract attention if they fall or have an accident.

 

Install Automatic Doors

Usually, most offices have very heavy fire doors fitted to the main entrances. These are able to prevent a fire from spreading in the event of the building burning. However, they can be extremely heavy and very difficult for wheelchair users to open and close. There is a solution to this – automatic doors. These doors will open automatically when a wheelchair user approaches them, and once shut they are very effective at preventing a fire from spreading.

 

Install A Lift To All Floors

If your office is spread across a few floors, you might need to think about installing a lift. There are now special lifts that are specially designed for wheelchair users and will cause minimum disruption when they are being installed.

As you can see, there are many ways you can improve the accessibility of your office and make your company more welcoming to disabled employees. If you think you might struggle to afford any adaptations, you should contact local authorities as there are many grants available for businesses that want to improve access.