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The City of Parramatta is committed to making our community inclusive for all people, including for people with disabilities.
The City is working to ensure its assets, programs and services do not present barriers to participation.
We also want to support our local community to be accessible for everyone, and we have worked with our Access Advisory Committee to produce guidelines to help small businesses be more accessible, and not lose customers over barriers to access.
Below you will find guidelines with basic steps to help improve customer service and the physical design of your premises so that all your potential customers can access your business and feel welcome.
Also below, you will find a more detailed guide, “Missed Business”, if you want more information.
Increasing business by improving access
(Back to top)One in five people have a disability – visible, invisible, temporary and permanent.
Together with their friends and families, the number of people affected by a disability is bigger still – and every one of them is a potential customer.
What you do to improve accessibility doesn’t have to be extravagantly expensive – a combination of providing easier entry and improving staff training will go a long way to making your business more attractive to many people including people with a disability.
There are some simple and effective steps that can be taken to making you business accessible to those with a disability, including both customer-centric initiative and physical design changes.
Customer service guide
(Back to top)When talking about ‘improving access’ it’s easy to think only in terms of installing ramps, toilets and other fixtures. But one of the simplest and cheapest solutions is to change the way you think about customer service for people with disabilities.
Physical design guide
(Back to top)In Australia, the law says that customers with disabilities should be able to access your goods or services just like any other customer.
Making your business more accessible is also likely to make it safer for both customers and staff, and could have an effect on your public liability and workplace safety responsibilities.
Downloads
(Back to top)The business access guidelines are available in English, Chinese simplified and Korean.
Are you missing out on customers?
(Back to top)In Parramatta, more than 45,000 people are living with a disability.
The City of Parramatta Council is strongly committed to ensuring that everyone in our community is able to enjoy the many social, cultural and business benefits of living here.
One way Council meets this commitment is by assisting small businesses to thrive in the area.
Providing good access to your business will benefit:
- people who are blind or partially sighted
- people with learning or intellectual disabilities
- people who are deaf or hearing-impaired
- people with a physical disability who may use a wheelchair or walking frame or have arthritis
- people with long-term illnesses
- people with mental health or psychological difficulties, and
- people with an acquired brain injury.
Additional information and support
(Back to top)Additional information to assist businesses on being more accessible, including employers, is provided by the NSW Business Chamber, the National Disability Coordination Officer Program - Western Sydney, and local employment service providers.
For more information visit:
