ACCESS SOLUTIONS
for people with hearing loss
access training
'Doing the right thing: legislation, policies and procedures'
Whatever the service you provide to the public, you are bound by legislation. Our training session, 'Doing the right thing: legislation, policies and procedures' highlights the key areas of legal responsibility in the sphere of hospitality and leisure in relation to providing services to people with hearing loss and explores the following legislation. The session enables participants to start to develop policies and procedures necessary for their business' compliance.
In this training session, we introduce each of the following:
The UK Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010, replaced the Disability Discrimination Act and it also simplified and strengthened the law with regard to discrimination and inequality. It requires that, where reasonable, equal access should be provided to people with disabilities.
The Equality Act 2010 covers all service-providers in all sectors, which means you must do what the equality law states in relation to your staff training and awareness, operational functions, processes, information and facilities. In order to do this, you may need to make some reasonable adjustments, which means possibly changing the way things are done, providing aides and additional services and making changes to overcome barriers created by the physical features of your premises. What is considered reasonable in law depends upon the effectiveness of the change, the building's status (e.g. Listed Building) and the physical practicalities and financial implications. To read the Disability Quick Start Guide', please click here.
Access for people with Assistance Dogs
One of the essential requirements for our Sounds Good charter mark is that an establishment is clear about its welcome to Hearing Dogs (or to all Assistance Dogs). We require applicants have a logo or statement on their website welcoming Hearing Dogs for Deaf People (or Assistance Dogs in general) and, for public buildings, ‘Assistance Dogs Welcome’ stickers on entrance doors.
This guide is an essential read for members of the hospitality industry, as it explains the legal duties in regard to assistance dog owners under the Equality Act 2010 and how you can meet them.
To read this guide in full, please click here.
Communication and the UK Equality Act 2010
In terms of meeting the needs of people with hearing loss, hearing loops (also known as 'induction loops') are often the most practical and cheapest solution for giving good quality access as they are accessible to the majority of hearing aid/cochlear implant users.
If your establishment has a reception area or if you provide rooms for meetings, conferences and/or weddings, you may wish to consider getting a hearing loop installed as the most cost-effective way of making the 'reasonable change' necessary to provide equality of access to people with hearing loss. For more information on hearing loops, please click here.
However, not everyone with hearing loss uses a hearing aid or cochlear implant; some people rely on lipreading, others rely on written communication and some use British Sign Language or Sign Supported English. To improve customer care and learn tips on communicating with people with hearing loss, we recommend that staff in the hospitality industry undertake some form of deaf awareness training. For more information on training, please click here.
By working towards our Sounds Good Charter Mark, you will become more aware of your legal responsibilities and how to take steps to improve the customer experience. For more information about the Sounds Good Charter Mark, please click here.
Fire Safety Legislation
If you provide accommodation for paying guests in England or Wales, it is your legal responsibility to abide by the Fire Safety Law: this includes carrying out a Fire Safety Risk Assessment which takes into consideration 'who is at risk' and requires you to give consideration to the safe evacuation of vulnerable people (such as people with hearing loss who would not be alerted to a traditional fire alarm). In Scotland, owners are obliged to comply with the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005.
Making appropriate equipment and evacuation plans available to guests with hearing loss is enshrined in law in the UK. As an accommodation provider, it is your legal responsibility to ensure the safety of disabled guests in the event of an emergency and this includes guests with hearing loss. For more information and guidance booklets on Fire Safety and overnight accommodation, please click here.
For information on fire safety equipment for people with hearing loss, please click here.
Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GS(IU)R 98) and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
According to the Health and Safety Executive, "In relation to domestic gas under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GS(IU)R 98), a landlord is anyone who rents out a property that they own under a lease that is shorter than 7 years or under a licence. Regardless of whether you are a landlord under GS(IU)R 98 you may be considered a landlord under other related legislation."
Under this regulation, landlords' duties apply to bed and breakfast accommodation and hotels, rented holiday accommodation such as chalets, cottages, flats, caravans and narrow boats on inland waterways.
Carbon monoxide poisoning may be caused by appliances which are incorrectly installed or poorly maintained. By law, boilers, gas cookers, stoves and flues in holiday homes in the UK should be tested annually by a Gas Safe Registered engineer: this is a legal duty.
If you own holiday accommodation in a country without the legal requirement for testing, you should still ensure that your accommodation is safe and, as the owner you could be liable for any injury or deaths which result from carbon monoxide poisoning.
In addition to annual testing, the Health and Safety Executive recommends the use of audible carbon monoxide alarms but these fail to take into account the needs of Deaf people and people with hearing loss. We recommend the installation of carbon monoxide alarms which link to strobes. There are also some which link to vibrating pillow pads.
For more information about carbon monoxide alarms for people with hearing loss, click here.
To download the Health and Safety Executive leaflet 'A guide to Landlords' duties', please click here.
