IO4/Unit 4: Disability Trends and Inclusive Enterprise Planning

1. IO4/Unit 4:
Disability Trends and Inclusive
Enterprise Planning
2017-1-BG01-KA202-036212

2. Table of content
4.1 Understand the customer problems in agro-business that will be solved
4.2 My inclusive workforce
4.3 My inclusive business model
4.4 Key Resources

3. Inclusive business models
 «Inclusive business models include the disadvantaged people on the demand
side as clients and customers, and on the supply side as employees, producers
and business owners at various points in the value chain. They build bridges
between business and the disadvantaged for mutual benefit.» (Adapted from
UNDP, 2008).

4. According to the WHO, approximately 15% of the world
population has a disability. Apart from being considered
“people to care for”, they are also customers, and increasingly
they also get employed by companies, albeit not to the degree
one would wish for.
It is therefore important that companies, and especially social
entrepreneurs, realise the potential offered by people with
disabilities, both in terms of working force as potential
customers.
This unit explores both elements:
An inclusive workforce
Catering for customers with and without disabilities

5. 4.1 Understand the customer problems in agro-business
that will be solved
The customer (with and without disabilities) increasingly desires organic products
and will come to your business to buy products.
As entrepreneur, you need to consider a number of accessibility concerns for your
business:
Access to your business should be easy and fully accessible. Make a good first
impression by providing ramps and automatic doors. This will allow customers
with mobility devices as well as parents with strollers to enter your business
easily.
Ensure your floor space is free of obstacles. This will allow your customers to
move easily while eliminating tripping hazards.
For any signs you use, apply a large enough sans-serif font (e.g., Verdana, Arial).
They are easier to read, make navigation more straightforward, and
accommodate customers who are deaf or have a low vision.

6.  Ensure the washroom –if any- is accessible (an out swinging door that is at
least 85 cm wide, a grab bar at the side and back of the toilet, an 80 cm
space beside the toilet, and a turning radius of 1,2 m).
 Provide accessible print materials where needed for your customers.
 Adjust the lighting to ensure customers can see your products.
 Offer a variety of high and low tables to accommodate customers who use a
wheelchair or scooter, or have other mobility challenges.
 At the point-of-sale, consider portable debit/credit machines or an
extendable cord to give customers a more convenient way of paying
(especially for individuals using wheelchairs or for those who aren’t tall
enough to reach a fixed debit machine).
 Providing your staff with training on topics such as how to assist those with
mobility devices, interact with service animals, etc, will ensure that everyone
is informed on how to accommodate and include all people.

7. Who is your organic customer?
Periphery consumers
• These are folks who are starting to lean towards organics, but they don't make any
significant behavioural changes, meaning they're still not purchasing organic products.
Mid-level organic consumers
• They are individuals who are not only changing their attitudes but who are also
changing their habits and buying organic products.
Core consumers
• People who are very invested in organics. They showcase this investment via both
attitude and behaviour. These folks talk about organics and purchase organic products
often.

8.  Focus on the customer’s needs, not to the products.
It’s a cliché and everybody knows it, but it is true. the customers of the agro-
business don’t buy just agricultural products, they buy solutions for needs.
The customer representatives of the agro-business have to talk with the customer
and understand their needs in daily life.
When you understand the needs of your customers, it will give the information
which you need to address them.
The customer will as such become a “member of the sales team” in your agro-
business through “word-of-mouth”.
 The social commercial enterprises need to adapt the solutions to the customer’s
changing needs.
The customer’s needs must be closely followed up. It is therefore wise to contact
customers on a regular basis to identify any issues at an early stage, while also
being aware of what other products/services they expect from you.

9. 4.2 My inclusive workforce
 The aim is to employ mainly socially disadvantagedpeople in social enterprises, as
well as reflect the diversity observed in nowadays society.
 Benefits of such an inclusive workforce include:
 Increases talent selection
 Increases customer base
 Drives innovation
 Fosters creativity
 Increases contributions
 Builds community
 Provides value
 Guides business strategies
 Ongoingtraining can help your staff in accommodating the needs of the diverse
customers, as well as in working together with colleagues, in a diverse
environment.

10. 4.3 My inclusive business model*
Strategies to overcome constraints
Adapt products
and processes
Invest in
removing
market
constraints
Leverage the
strengths of the
customers
Combine
resources and
capabilities
with others
Engage in policy
dialogue with
the government
Constraintsof
customers
Market information
Regulatory environment
Physical infrastructure
Knowledge and skills
Access to financial
resources
As an entrepreneur you need to provide answers to a number of constraints your
customers may face.
Below matrix will have to be completed by you.
* Based on the inclusive business model strategy matrix (Source: UNDP 2008)

11. 4.4 Key Resources
The DIANA project (Disability in sustainable agriculture – a new approach for
training of practitioners, http://www.projectdiana.eu/ ) dealt with the demands
of practitioners with different professional background working on social farms.
 In DIANA training tools were developed and tested on social farms.
The MAIE project (Multifunctional Agriculture in Europe - Social and Ecological
Impacts on Organic Farms, www.maie-project.eu) developed a curriculum for
farmers being interested to integrate social work into their farming concept.
 In MAIE a curriculum for farmers has been developed based on experiences in countries
with advanced Social Farming networks (especially The Netherlands and Italy).

12. Disclaimer
For further information, related to the ECOGARD project, please visit the project’s website
at https://ecogardening.eu/ or visit us at https://www.facebook.com/Ecogard/.
Download our mobile app at
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ecogard.mobile.
This project ( ECOGARD project - 2017-1-BG01-KA202-036212) has been funded with
support from the European Commission (Erasmus+ Programme). This publication reflects
the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use
which may be made of the information contained therein.