A quick response to accessibility improvement

My local pub re-opened on 4th August, and has put a number of practices in place to help maintain social distancing. They use WhatsApp both to provide the menu and for taking orders which limits movement around the room.

 

The first time that my partner and I went back for a meal a couple of weeks ago, the menu was sent via WhatsApp as an image file(a photograph) of the printed menu. This meant that my phone’s screen reader, only seeing it as a picture,  could not read it.

 

Later, I emailed the pub explaining the issue and as a solution, asked if they could provide a text version of the menu to blind customers. They immediately responded, thanking me for explaining the issue and saying they were on the case. We returned for a meal last Saturday night and I was sent the new text version of the menu – which I could read on my phone. They didn’t attempt to make any excuses for not having the menu in an accessible format, neither did they make a big deal of providing me with a new version – there was no implicit expectation of gratitude from me, and yet I felt some degree of gratitude to them for taking me seriously and responding so quickly.

 

It reminded me how much I get used to not having the same information as sighted people, instead  relying on having things read to me by those I’m with, or having to ask staff. How much we get used to public and private sector organisations alike simply not bothering to work within the law to enable access by or participation of disabled people who receive their services or buy their goods (Equality Act 2010).

 

When I come across an organisation or business that does integrate accessibility into their operations, website etc as a matter of course, or (like my local pub) makes the change as soon as it is drawn to their attention, my response might appropriately be neutral as I should expect nothing less. Yet, it is still so rare that I am always conscious of a sense of pleasure, gladness that these people have bothered(or that they at least  hadn‘t not bothered), that they value my custom enough to afford me the most basic right to information about what they do or sell.

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