A new Charter created by the enterprise arm of Queen Alexandra College (QAC), a national specialist college for people who are vision impaired, will be launched today to recognise businesses that accommodate people who are blind or partially sighted.
With approximately two million people in the UK who have a visual impairment, the All Formats Charter has been developed for businesses to show they are committed to providing information in accessible formats such as Braille, large print or audio.
The All Formats Charter will be launched today (Wednesday March 19) at Thinktank, Millennium Point, Birmingham at 12.00pm. Thinktank is the first organisation to be awarded the All Formats Charter and will be presented with their certificate.
Businesses can sign up by paying a bi-annual subscription fee costing as little as £150 (dependent on size of company).
Benefits to a business that holds the Charter include:
• Adding to your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contribution.
• All Formats providing you with information to help promote your products and services to visually impaired people throughout the UK.
• Your business details being showcased at QAC Sight Village in Birmingham in July 2008 - an exhibition of technology and services for blind and partially sighted people, which attracts thousands of visitors each year.
• Reinforcing your compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
Alex Mellon, QAC Principal, said: “I am delighted with the interest shown in the All Formats Charter, particularly as it was formed in response to feedback from people who are visually impaired.
“Those who sign up to the Charter are reinforcing their compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act. As a result, people who are blind or vision impaired will receive information that is accessible to them in Braille, large print or audio.
“I congratulate Thinktank for leading the way as the first All Formats Charter holder.”
To gain the All Formats Charter companies must be able to:
• Provide all essential or primary information relating to products and services in alternative formats within a reasonable period of time upon request.
• Have a clear policy on how to deal with visually impaired customers' needs. Staff should be aware that material is available in alternative formats and should be aware of the procedure to follow if this information is requested.
• Ensure that reasonable efforts are made to make signs accessible to visually impaired customers in areas that are used by customers or the general public.
• Show appropriate records are retained relating to the customer’s preferred method of communication and all measures should be followed to ensure that the individual receives further information in their desired format.
• Demonstrate that a reasonable percentage of staff are trained in guiding individuals who are vision impaired.
Once a company meets the criteria, the badge can be displayed showing the business’s commitment to providing documents in an accessible format for someone who is blind or vision impaired.
All revenue raised from the Charter is reinvested into All Formats, a social enterprise, and profits are gifted to the College, which is a registered charity.
For more information about the All Formats Charter contact Sarah Adderley 0121 428 5083 or email - allformats@qac.ac.uk
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