Everyone is
welcome here
If you stumbled across this page, hello and welcome. Feel free to learn a little bit about the accessibility issues that our communities are faced with and how we can work together to alleviate them.
If our extremely-hard-to-read letter brought you here, great.
Did you feel discouraged by that font choice? That's what it was designed to do. It's called The Inaccessible Font. It’s been built to generate a feeling of frustration and create a challenging experience for readers without disabilities. Feelings of frustration and encountering challenges are experiences that many people with disabilities have on a daily basis when navigating physical, digital, and social spaces in the community.
“Every effort that’s made to remove a barrier has a tremendous impact. There’s no need to do it all at once. Start with the easy stuff and go from there.”
- Luke Anderson, co-founder, StopGap Foundation
See this as an
opportunity to learn
This topic can often have people feeling overwhelmed. Listen, we understand and we’re so glad you’re here. It’s 100% OK to not know anything about this issue, everyone is on their own learning journey and the information we’ve provided here is intended to support your adventure.
What can you do?
There are some simple changes that can make your business more accessible, like requesting a ramp from StopGap. But there are many other things that you may not have even thought about that can increase access and remove barriers without too much effort, that come at low to no cost.
Request a Ramp
Here are some other ways you can make your business more accessible.
Feel free to contact us to chat further on any of these topics.
Provide an Alternative Entry (when possible)
If your main entrance doesn’t allow for a ramp, consider making an existing alternate entryway available for those who need it.
Portable Debit Machines or Extendable Cord
The debit/credit card reader is crucial for sales. By switching to a wireless or long-corded model you can make transactions easier for everyone.
Accessible Washrooms
If your washroom is located in a basement, and you’re not in a financial place to retrofit an accessible one, consider partnering with a neighbouring business that has a main floor washroom. You’ll have made life easier for so many people.
Item Placement
Whenever possible, have items within the eyeline of customers in a seated position. Keep those items within reach or have examples available at lower heights.
Barrier-Free Pathways and Aisles
Ensure clear, obstacle-free paths to key areas for all customers. This enhances accessibility, and allows for a more enjoyable, longer-lasting customer experience.
Automatic Doors
An automatic door makes life easier for everyone, but can be expensive upfront. If that’s not feasible now, adding a doorbell helps customers get a hold of someone inside to assist them and can be found at most hardware stores for $20-$40.
Information is essential
For many people who have access needs, it is incredibly helpful to be able to easily find accessibility information about a building, venue or business. You can simply place this information on your website or upload it to the AccessNow app.
Consider the Digital World
Barriers can present themselves in many ways, including content available online. The goal of web accessibility is to establish inclusive access to information for everyone with the use of highly legible fonts, high-contrast colours and more. You can learn about Web Content Accessibility Guidelines by booking a free consultation with our friends at Hey Nova.
Let’s get accessible
Hopefully this information has been helpful for you personally and professionally. Remember, small changes can make a big difference at little cost to you. You may not have lived experience with disability, you may not be the expert—know that it’s okay to not know. We’re all on a life-long learning journey, and we each show up with our own level of understanding and exposure to people with different lived experiences - that’s fantastic. With openness, honesty, and vulnerability we can build understanding, empathy, harmony, connection, and togetherness in our communities.
Reach out
We don’t expect you to do this on your own. We’re here to support your journey every ‘step’ of the way! We are always ready and willing to connect. You can start with a free half hour consultation with us. Book a session with a member of our team, your new teammate, to discuss your access questions.