Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco

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For Businesses

An advertisement, with a picture of an Older man holding a baby. The text reads: Now that he’s retired from a long career in commercial photography, Hector has time to pursue his great love. He works out every morning, spends lots of time with his grandchildren, and is renovating a house he and his wife recently bought. Hector is one of a hundred fifty thousand people in San Francisco with a disability. When buying hardware and building supplies, Hector always shops at stores where he can easily get around and check out the merchandise. Accessibility is good for business. Accessibility is good for seniors accessibility is good for anyone.

A woman is at the bottom of a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs is a store called the Upstairs Store. The woman is holding a sign that says “Have Cash – Will trade for goods and services!!!!”San Francisco is home to 150,000 consumers with disabilities. It’s also home to a thriving small business community.

If you’re a business owner, ILRCSF can provide you with information and resources about your responsibilities regarding accessibility to all consumers. We can also tell you how becoming more disability-friendly is good for business.

If you’re a consumer with a disability, ILRCSF can provide you with information about your rights to accessibility in the marketplace. We can also provide you with some tools to advocate for a more disability-friendly business community.

If you’re a business owner

An advertisement, with a picture of a woman with her baby. The text reads: Getting in and out of stores used to be a no-brainer for Lee. Once she became a mother and started pushing a stroller around, accessibility became important to her. Now she does all of her shopping at stores where getting in and moving around with a baby and stroller is easy. After all, where Mom goes, Baby goes. Lee does not have a disability. Accessibility is good for business, accessibility is good for parents accessibility is good for everyone.

California has a new law (SB 1608) that every business owner needs to know about. It both improves protection for business owners against unwarranted lawsuits, and protects the rights of consumers. ILRCSF has developed an easy-to-follow summary of SB 1608, the new law which both protects business owners from unwarranted lawsuits, and supports the interests of consumers with disabilities.

ILRCSF is working closely with the small business community to develop and disseminate resources that make 1608 easy to understand.

We also work together to inform business owners that accessibility is good for business.

Here are some links to get you started.

A picture of a young man with a child. The text reads: Steve has since made a full recovery, but he was in bad shape six months ago, after a skateboarding accident nearly wiped him out. The experience left a lasting impression. Steve was one of thousands of people with a temporary disability. “Breaking my leg was a real eye-opener for me. I’d never given much thought to accessibility until I found myself having to get around with a heavy cast and a pair of crutches. The comic book store I’d been going to for five years suddenly felt like an obstacle course.” Accessibility is good for business Accessibility is good for young people.