Equality and Human Rights Commission

The question you need to ask yourself is whether:

• the way you do things
• any physical feature of your premises, or
• the absence of an auxiliary aid or service

puts disabled people at a substantial disadvantage compared with people who are not disabled.

Anything that is more than minor or trivial is a substantial disadvantage.

If a substantial disadvantage does exist, then the duty to make reasonable adjustments arises.

The aim of the adjustments you make is to remove the substantial disadvantage.

But you only have to make adjustments that are reasonable for you to make.

Good practice tips for working out whether disabled people face a substantial disadvantage in using your services

• Local disabled people’s groups may be happy to help you work this out. Contact groups representing people with a range of impairments. Explain that you want to make reasonable adjustments, and ask if they can help.  
• National organisations of disabled people may also have information available about the impact of different impairments.  
• If your organisation is part of a group such as a local chamber of commerce, community and voluntary sector umbrella group or group of local clubs, then you could organise a joint approach and ask them to help you survey several organisations together and share good practice.  
• If you belong to a national association, they may produce specialist advice on the sorts of barriers disabled people face in your sector, as well as the changes made by similar organisations to your own.  
• You could commission an access audit of premises which the general public have access to.