Is your venue confusing to navigate? Does your ordering system need lots of explaining before it makes sense to customers?

• Treat all customers equally and with respect
• Be patient when helping customers that need more time for communication

Many people have a cognitive impairment that leads them to take more time when digesting information and making decisions. Did you know that 44% of Australian adults have difficulty reading and writing? Other people without permanent disabilities may also have “bad days” where they might be running on low sleep or have other things on their mind, creating a temporary cognitive impairment.

Cognitive friendly businesses make customers feel welcome and comfortable. They make it easier for customers to make decisions about what they want to purchase.

A cognitive friendly business is one that welcomes:

• people with intellectual disabilities or acquired brain injuries
• people who are sleep deprived, stressed or have a temporary cognitive impairment
• tourists and other people who do not speak English as a first language

• Provide clear signage that shows patrons where the toilets and cash registers are.
• Design the layout of your public spaces so there are clear circulation pathways so patrons can intuitively identify where they can walk.

It can be nerve wracking to interact with different people, so these tips may help staff communicate clearly with customers:

• Speak clearly and with plain english
• Take your time, don’t rush any questions or answers
• Check to make sure the person has understood you correctly
• You may have to repeat yourself
• Try to use more than one form of communication, such as words, gestures, pictures, or diagrams
• Have a positive attitude, communicating can sometimes be frustrating for all people involved, so having some understanding and patience will put everyone at ease and help to make communicating easier.

• Use simple, easy to understand language in menus.
• Pictures of meals can be very helpful.

• Use the Read-able readability checker to ensure your website doesn’t have too high of a reading level. Aim for grade 6 if possible.
• If your venue has a unique service offering, explain it clearly on your website so patrons can read about it before visiting your venue. For example, if your restaurant serves family style meals, make this clear on your website and explain what “family style” means in plain English.

• Brewability Lab is a brewery in Englewood, Colorado, USA, that is accessible for both employees and customers with developmental disabilities. The menu is color-coded to match the handles on the taps so customers can order by size and then by color. Employees use pictures and checklists for dishwashing, cleaning and other tasks.

• Scope provides resources for businesses on how to use Easy English to become communication accessible.