How would you know if a customer has a disability?

Identifying if a customer has a disability can be sensitive and should always be approached with care and respect for privacy. Here are some ways you might identify if a customer has a disability:

Observation of a physical indicator – some disabilities have visible signs such as use of a mobility aid (wheelchairs, canes, walkers etc), hearing aids or service animals or another indicator such as a sunflower lanyard. These can be indicators that a customer may have a specific need.

Here are some examples:

Left – a white cane, this indicates the user has a visual impairment

Middle – a white cane with red band, this indicates the user has both a visual and a hearing impairment

Right – a sunflower lanyard indicating the wearer has an invisible disability

Communication style – if a customer uses sign language, communicates through a companion or uses assistive technology to communicate, this could be an indication of a hearing or speech related disability.

Behavioural cues – some customers may exhibit behaviours that suggest they have a cognitive or developmental disability such as needing extra time to process information.

Direct disclosure – some customers may directly inform you of their disability and if they require a specific accommodation or assistance.

The image below shows an example of an Access Card – these have symbols to indicate the needs of the user. You can find out more here: Access Card: Making access easy

Request for assistance – this is similar to a direct disclosure, but the customer may ask for help with a specific task e.g. reaching an item or reading a label rather than telling you they have a disability.

Use of an accessible feature – you may have customers that use disabled parking or request home delivery which may also be an indicator that they have a disability.