How to Serve Customers with Disabilities

The purpose of this e-book:

      To help business managers and employees learn how to serve people who are living with a disability.

To help the service industry increase its customer base by providing information on making its establishments more accessible.

To serve as a training manual for staff & business owners.

I have done the research to give you the information necessary to serve disabled people.

Where the user of this e-book could use more explanation, I have included links to excellent websites.

Each chapter concludes with a quiz to help with training.

Allow me to introduce myself         

My name is Michael Haines and I have cerebral palsy. Because of my using a wheelchair for many decades, I have been in many uncomfortable, embarrassing, and unsafe situations for myself and employees and ultimately business owners:  

I couldn’t maneuver in a wheelchair-accessible washroom because it was used to store highchairs.

I’ve had trouble fitting the front of my electric wheelchair under a table.

I’ve had to ask for help out of a washroom cubicle because the door was too heavy.

Because of my speech, a waitress told me I had had too much to drink. I had not had a thing to drink.

I couldn’t go to a restaurant on the second floor because there was no elevator.

I have been inspiring businesses and students with my insightful talks to restaurants for more than twenty years. I want to share what I’ve learned. I want to help managers, employees and the general public better understand how to interact with and cater to the needs of people who have unique challenges or disabilities. 

In my quest to lead a relatively normal life, I’ve learned a great deal about the 13.7% of the Canadian adult population who have physical and mental challenges that limit their daily activities.

If you manage a business, you may be missing out on sales by not catering to that 13.7% of the population. In this e-book, I would like to pass on to you the essence of what I’ve learned about minimizing the discomfort they feel.

I want employers and their staff to be equipped to better understand the needs of seniors and other people with unique disabilities. I believe that a company's bottom line will increase if their establishment is fully accessible and as welcoming as possible.