Disability Awareness Training for Music Retailers
We are delighted to announce that the MIA, Creative United, and Attitude Is Everything have designed a disability awareness training course especially for music retailers. This course is here to help improve your confidence in incorporating considerations for disabled customers in everyday trading. This training will be available to all MIA Members under the umbrella of the miacademy .
Following a survey undertaken by the Take It Away Consortium, research found that many disabled music-makers felt that music shops were generally accessible, however, there is a lack of confidence and knowledge amongst music retailers when it comes to serving and catering to the needs of disabled customers…
Some key findings:
There are just under 14 million people with disabilities in the UK, which works out to 1 in 5 in potential customers.
£267 million is lost every month by inaccessible high street shops and if you don’t pay attention to this important topic you’re part of that statistic. Getting it right not only means you’re promoting music as something for everyone, but it can also help to attract new customers and maintain customer loyalty.
We will therefore be providing on-demand webinars as well as live training sessions under the umbrella of the miacademy. The aim of these training sessions is to support musical instrument retailers across the UK to improve their awareness, product knowledge and confidence in responding positively to the diverse needs of customers with disabilities, both in-store and online.
The sessions available are as follows:
- Disability and the UK today – understanding of the state of access in the UK today.
- The Equality Act – looking at disability discrimination as defined by the Equality Act, and what constitutes a reasonable adjustment.
- Social Model of Disability – what is the social model and why does it matter?
Total running time 1 hour. Recommended viewing for staff at all levels.
- Language and Terminology – best practice for communicating with disabled customers and how the language of disability has developed over time.
- Identifying Barriers to Access – Considering the customer journey and potential barriers to access that a D/deaf or disabled customer might experience.
- Case Studies – real access-related scenarios and how best to address them.
How do I get involved?
If you would like to sign up for this training, please contact Alice.
Alice will send you a link to an online platform where you will find the introductory sessions. MIA Members will be given a code which allows you to access it all for free. You and your team will be able to watch the videos and complete the quizzes at your own pace.
Alice will also book you into a live training session date. There are plenty of time and date options throughout October. You will join a zoom call where you and your team will receive bespoke, practical training to help you understand and deal with the customer journey that a disabled visitor might experience.
Please note: these courses are completely free for members of the MIA, and members will also be given priority. However, non-members are welcome to get in touch to find out more.
