| Re: Helping staff to know who may need a bit of extra help Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 21:28, 17th November 2024 |      |
Personal experience. With 100% deafness on one side, I can have problems communicating. Virtually without exception, I have found that if I'm not hearing someone they will be more than considerate and helpful.
Whenever I meet with grahame, I discuss with him where we should stand / sit, relative to each other, simply to assist his hearing.
Similarly within my own family, when we meet up for lunch with my father: we discuss the best seating arrangement, taking into account his impaired hearing.
It's no problem - and it makes the communication so much better.
| Re: Helping staff to know who may need a bit of extra help Posted by grahame at 14:24, 17th November 2024 | |
Sunflower lanyards / badges do seem to have worked well for those people who have difficulties and need the extra help - I would hope that customer facing staff are routinely made aware of these markings and part of standard training is to be aware and appropriately responsive. It should be that all staff should be "disability allies" ...
Personal experience. With 100% deafness on one side, I can have problems communicating. Virtually without exception, I have found that if I'm not hearing someone they will be more than considerate and helpful.
| Re: Helping staff to know who may need a bit of extra help Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:59, 16th November 2024 | |
From the BBC:
Why shops need to do more for unseen disabilities
For most people, retail staff multitasking while speaking to them would not be an issue.
But for Simon Houghton, who is deaf and needs to lip-read, people turning away can be the difference between him understanding what they say or not.
According to research from the Business Disability Forum, 90% of disabled people found their shopping experience was affected by a lack of accessibility, with 43% frequently abandoning their purchases as a result.
The Oracle shopping centre in Reading has launched a scheme called Unseen Aware to help staff engage with customers with hidden disabilities.
The initiative offers staff an hour-long training course designed to teach them the "principles" of becoming an unseen disabilities' ally and how to help - for example, by speaking more respectfully and challenging biases.
Mr Houghton, who started the initiative, said it could be difficult to spot if a person was struggling in a shopping centre.
"The idea behind Unseen Aware is to educate staff so that they are a bit more understanding, empathetic, patient and kind when it comes to a customer who might need some support," he said.
Staff who have completed the training get a badge so that people with disabilities will know they have the knowledge to help them.
He said it was different to other schemes, such as the sunflower lanyard, because it put the onus on the businesses instead of on the disabled person.
Oracle director Andy Briggs said it was not just people with disabilities who would benefit from the scheme - the staff would, too.
"I think a lot of people are uncomfortable when they don't understand a disability," he said.
And research from disability charity Scope estimated the spending power of disabled people the UK to be £274bn a year - so there could be economic benefits too, according to Mr Houghton.
"[The initiative says] 'if you want my business, if you want me to be the best I can, have a bit more of an understanding'," he said.
He said ultimately his vision for the future was that the badge would become "a mark of understanding".
"I want to break down the barriers about talking about disability," he said. "I think that's the first step and Unseen Aware is going to achieve that."
For most people, retail staff multitasking while speaking to them would not be an issue.
But for Simon Houghton, who is deaf and needs to lip-read, people turning away can be the difference between him understanding what they say or not.
According to research from the Business Disability Forum, 90% of disabled people found their shopping experience was affected by a lack of accessibility, with 43% frequently abandoning their purchases as a result.
The Oracle shopping centre in Reading has launched a scheme called Unseen Aware to help staff engage with customers with hidden disabilities.
The initiative offers staff an hour-long training course designed to teach them the "principles" of becoming an unseen disabilities' ally and how to help - for example, by speaking more respectfully and challenging biases.
Mr Houghton, who started the initiative, said it could be difficult to spot if a person was struggling in a shopping centre.
"The idea behind Unseen Aware is to educate staff so that they are a bit more understanding, empathetic, patient and kind when it comes to a customer who might need some support," he said.
Staff who have completed the training get a badge so that people with disabilities will know they have the knowledge to help them.
He said it was different to other schemes, such as the sunflower lanyard, because it put the onus on the businesses instead of on the disabled person.
Oracle director Andy Briggs said it was not just people with disabilities who would benefit from the scheme - the staff would, too.
"I think a lot of people are uncomfortable when they don't understand a disability," he said.
And research from disability charity Scope estimated the spending power of disabled people the UK to be £274bn a year - so there could be economic benefits too, according to Mr Houghton.
"[The initiative says] 'if you want my business, if you want me to be the best I can, have a bit more of an understanding'," he said.
He said ultimately his vision for the future was that the badge would become "a mark of understanding".
"I want to break down the barriers about talking about disability," he said. "I think that's the first step and Unseen Aware is going to achieve that."
| Helping staff to know who may need a bit of extra help Posted by grahame at 10:42, 1st April 2019 | |
From Minster fm
Not totally sure that 1st April, and in the morning, was the best day for this one. Not sure about the picture of LNER staff holding massive bunches of sunflowers either.
LNER introduce sunflower lanyards for passengers with hidden disabilities
Passengers who travel with York-based train operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) can now use Sunflower Lanyards to show staff they may need additional assistance at stations or during their journey.
The bright green, sunflower print lanyard is becoming the established symbol of hidden disabilities in the UK. The lanyard has been designed to discreetly let staff know that customers have a condition such as autism, dementia or a visual impairment, without the customer having to locate the staff member.
LNER is the first train company to introduce the scheme, following the successful introduction of the lanyards at several major UK airports and supermarkets. The Sunflower Lanyard scheme has been endorsed by hidden disability charities.
LNER is taking the scheme one step further by creating Sunflower Ambassadors along the 936-mile route extending between London, Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland. The volunteers from various parts of the LNER business will be trained on how best to help customers with hidden disabilities.
Passengers who travel with York-based train operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) can now use Sunflower Lanyards to show staff they may need additional assistance at stations or during their journey.
The bright green, sunflower print lanyard is becoming the established symbol of hidden disabilities in the UK. The lanyard has been designed to discreetly let staff know that customers have a condition such as autism, dementia or a visual impairment, without the customer having to locate the staff member.
LNER is the first train company to introduce the scheme, following the successful introduction of the lanyards at several major UK airports and supermarkets. The Sunflower Lanyard scheme has been endorsed by hidden disability charities.
LNER is taking the scheme one step further by creating Sunflower Ambassadors along the 936-mile route extending between London, Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland. The volunteers from various parts of the LNER business will be trained on how best to help customers with hidden disabilities.
I remember from some considerable time ago that FGW (now GWR) has a scheme under which customers could get official card they could show to crew, indicating the need for a bit of extra help ... any updates on that?
