Businesses that fail to cater for customers with disabilities will lose out on Olympic revenue

Brian Wisdom, CEO of People 1st, commented: "Businesses will be short sighted if they don't harness the power of the Paralympic Games and ensure their service is accessible and disability-friendly. "Over 10 million people are classified as having a disability in the UK – equivalent to 20% of businesses' customer base. Over a year this market is worth £80 billion. Good customer service is essential; 66% choose businesses renowned for good customer service and 83% have taken their business to a more accessible competitor." People 1st, with the support of VisitEngland, is introducing the WorldHost training programme to raise the standard and delivery of customer service training in the UK. The programme includes additional learning modules on serving customers with disabilities. It covers topics such as knowing the right language to use and being aware of feelings, misconceptions and biases. Marc Woods, Paralympic gold-medallist and BBC commentator, said: "Disability is always relative to the task in hand and there are some very simple things businesses can do to be welcoming to those with disabilities. Access is often an issue, but what makes a meaningful difference is the way in which people behave. Ignorance breeds fear and debunking some of the myths around disability will have a real impact on how staff treat disabled customers. Simply remembering that respectful and friendly service makes a lasting impression whether your customer is disabled or not." WorldHost has already been used successfully at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, where it was used to train 39,000 volunteers and tourism staff earlier this year. It has the backing of the Institute of Directors and leading businesses including McDonald's, who will be embedding the WorldHost customer service training in their employee development programme, and Flybe. WorldHost's tips for improving communication with customers who have disabilities: 1. Treat all customers as you would like to be treated 2. Make no assumptions or generalisations 3. Pity is not an emotion that disabled people appreciate 4. Disabled people are not all alike 5. There are ranges of abilities and not everyone requires or wants your help 6. Do not let one bad experience cloud your judgement 7. Do not patronise 8. Do not be afraid to ask what you can do to help