Accessible Customer Service

In this topic, you’ll learn some tips for speaking and communicating with customers with disabilities, whether they have hearing loss or identify as having an intellectual, speech, or language disability. You’ll learn what to do when you don’t understand what they’ve said, why you should keep a pen and notepad with you, and what you can do to help make sure your customers can understand you.

• Questions (level 1, 2, 3)

• Video module

This topic is currently available in English.

1. Look at and speak directly to the customer, not their interpreter, support person, or companion.

2. If you aren’t sure or didn’t understand what a customer with a disability said, ask them to repeat it.

3. When speaking with a customer who has identified as having an intellectual disability, use plain language and provide information one piece at a time.

4. When speaking with a customer who has identified as having an intellectual disability, don’t speak so slowly or so loudly that it could make the customer feel like you’re mocking them.

5. If the customer has identified as having a speech or language disability, ask questions that can easily be answered with "yes" or "no".

6. Keep a pen and notepad with you to communicate with people with disabilities who might prefer to see information written down, like customers with hearing loss or who have a learning disability.

7. When talking to people with hearing loss, face them, speak clearly, and maintain good eye contact. Don’t shout, use exaggerated gestures or turn your back to them when communicating.

8. If you’re wearing a face mask and need to talk to someone with hearing loss, you can use a pen and paper or your phone to write out what you need to say. You can also stand behind a plexiglass barrier and remove your mask so they can read your lips.

In this topic, we explore best practices for helping customers with visual impairments, like how to identify yourself when you approach them, how to guide them if they ask for assistance, and how to give them directions. You’ll also learn some best practices for providing customer service when your customer uses a wheelchair, scooter, or walker.

• Questions (level 1, 2, 3)

• Video module

This topic is currently available in English.

1. Identify yourself when approaching a customer with vision loss. Clearly say who you are and ask how you can help them.

2. Offer your elbow or shoulder to customers with visual loss if you need to guide them somewhere. Wait until they accept, and don’t pull or force them anywhere.

3. When guiding a customer with a vision loss, tell them when you are near obstacles or stairs.

4. Be descriptive and precise when you're giving directions to people with vision loss. Don't say "over there" or point.

5. Don’t touch or move a person's equipment, like a wheelchair or walker, without their permission. This includes leaning or hanging anything on it. They use these devices to help them, so putting something on it or moving it might compromise how they can use it.

6. If you are having a long conversation with someone who uses a wheelchair or scooter, consider sitting down, so you can make eye contact at the same level.

7. If your service counter is too high for a person using a wheelchair to see or reach over, move to the front of it to provide service.

8. Remove any items from aisles or public areas that may cause a physical barrier to people using wheelchairs, scooters, or walkers.