Gathering Input from Customers with Disabilities

Including Customers with Disabilities in the Process

All customers should be included in these information-gathering processes, including customers with disabilities. And, there are reasons beyond equalizing opportunities that make this inclusion significant for businesses.

• Customers with disabilities are part of a large and growing market segment whose customer requirements are often overlooked. Businesses cannot afford to ignore more than 50 million consumers with billions of dollars to spend.

• Business environments and product characteristics that serve people with disabilities also benefit other markets. People with disabilities, who frequently need to find creative ways to work around physical barriers and product inaccessibility, can offer ideas and innovative solutions to attract and keep new customers, especially those in the burgeoning older adult market.

• People with disabilities can assist businesses in finding cost-effective, usable solutions that bring facilities and customer service policies and practices into compliance with the ADA.