Fourth Report - Accessibility of products and services to disabled people

The Disability Action Plan calls on the Disability Unit to publish research into the accessibility of private sector products and services in spring 2024 and to improve its understanding of the barriers disabled consumers face. It is right that policy options should be evidence-based However, despite the hold ups owing to legal proceedings, it is unacceptable that three years after the publication of the National Disability Strategy, rather than seeing tangible improvements in their lives, disabled consumers are instead left with further delay while waiting for the Government to undertake research, the need for which has long been recognised.

Not all businesses are considering the needs of disabled consumers when bringing products and services to the market. Where accessibility is considered, it is often done so retrospectively, as something to be bolted on to an existing design. Products and services should be inclusive by default. By not embracing inclusive design, businesses risk missing out on the spending power of disabled consumers and restricting the options available to them.

The Government should task the Disability and Access Ambassadors with engaging with businesses on inclusive design, to seek out and share best practice and to identify the barriers to making products and services in their sectors accessible to disabled people. The Government should then work with each sector to discuss relevant interventions and develop guidance on best practice.

Disabled people face additional costs in their daily lives. These costs are exacerbated by restrictions on their choice as consumers. We support the Government’s commitment in the National Disability Strategy to establish an Extra Costs Taskforce to better understand the extra costs faced by disabled people, including how this breaks down for different impairments. The Government originally planned to set up the taskforce by summer 2022. We recommend that the Government establish an Extra Costs Taskforce as a priority and by no later than summer 2024.

Disabled people should not have to look for alternatives or settle for less when using online shopping and services. Despite the untapped potential of the purple pound, market forces have failed to drive the urgent improvements that are necessary.

Given that disabled people increasingly need access to online services, information, and social networks, it is imperative that the Government acts on what it has described as the “persistently poor accessibility of private sector websites” without further delay. As a priority, private sector websites and applications which provide essential products and services should be subject to the same regulations as the public sector. Concurrently, Ministers should work with businesses, the Disability and Access Ambassadors and Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) to lay the ground for legislative action across the other parts of the private sector. The Government should provide an update on its progress on this recommendation within six months of the publication of this report. (Paragraph 28) 16 Accessibility of products and services to disabled people

Several banks and financial providers have innovated to make their services accessible to blind and partially sighted customers, such as issuing debit and credit cards with tactile indicators. However, this is not standard practice across the banking sector as providers continue to phase out embossed cards. We are also concerned that not all banks properly consider the needs of disabled people in the provision of ATMs.

The Financial Conduct Authority should work with the retail banking sector and organisations such as the RNIB to ensure all banks embrace inclusive design from the outset when innovating or phasing out existing services. We recommend that all banks: • roll out flat bank cards that are accessible to disabled people, and continue to issue embossed cards to customers who request them; • in addition to tactile indicators, ensure that all flat bank cards have a clear visual design, including colour, good contrast and large font size; and • where ATMs are provided, ensure they have been user tested with disabled people, installed in locations accessible to all and are regularly checked to guarantee that accessible features are in working order.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs should review its food packaging guidance in light of new technological approaches being developed and ensure a minimum accessibility requirement on food packaging’s essential nutrition, health and pricing information. (Paragraph 37) Accessibility of products and services to disabled people 17