If you have an employee with impaired sight or hearing, restricted mobility or dyslexia, how can you be confident of making the right choice of office equipment, software and furniture for the job you’re keen for them to do for you?
The answer’s by shopping from the 300+ assistive products that we’re adding to BT Wholesale’s eCatalogue this January. And that’s because as well as giving you a great choice at keen prices, we’re offering the bonus of free help and advice from a dedicated team to guide you in every purchase decision. On offer too are product demonstrations, equipment installation and product training for your employees or your business customers’ employees.
We’ve recognised that there’s a new urgency for specialist IT-based products that can equip businesses to harness the skills and contribution of older people and people with disabilities. The UK Government is increasing the pressure and the funding to encourage more disabled people to re-join the workforce. That’s a community that astute employers can’t afford to ignore. At 6.8 million strong, they represent one fifth of the UK’s total working age population*.
What’s more, this year’s anticipated legal changes to the emerging Equality Act will intensify the obligations on companies to show that they’re consciously and actively making what are called ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ in their workplaces to accommodate the widely differing needs of their employees and potential recruits.
The eCatalogue’s new assistive products helpdesk team is on call to share their expert practical knowledge of these ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ with you and with your business customers. They’ll also be pleased to talk you through and advise you on products that range from telephony, magnification devices for desktops and laptops to ergonomically designed chairs and from voice control software and headsets to textphones.
And this is an area of product design and consultancy with a long history at BT. We’ve had a dedicated team to address age and disability matters since 1984. That’s in recognition of the operational, social and cost advantages of making ‘accessibility’ business as usual for our employees and customers. Even as early as 1915 we were adapting switchboards for use by servicemen blinded during the First World War. In the 1930s phones were introduced with flashing lights and extra large dials for those with impaired hearing or vision. And in more recent times we’ve sponsored an inclusive design toolkit, constructed by the University of Cambridge. It’s freely available to businesses and product designers here.
*Source: Employers’ Forum on Disability website
Like to see what’s on offer in our assistive products range – and the new revenue generation opportunities for your New Year? Simply head to our eCatalogue now.
Or speak to your account management team.
Read how we’ve expanded your eCatalogue payment options with the addition of credit and debit cards. We report in this issue here.
BT Wholesale’s CEO Sally Davis is the BT Group’s inclusion and disability champion. See what Sally has to say about her role and BT’s approach to ‘inclusive communications’ here.
