Ensuring that all customers feel welcome in your retail location is essential when it comes to the success of your small business. Individuals with mobility issues often rely on devices that can be challenging to use in a commercial setting. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) establishes certain standards that must be met in order to ensure that individuals with mobility issues will be able to use your property, but these standards are merely minimums.

Here are three small changes that you can make to ensure your business is ADA compliant in the future:

1. Eliminate all steps from your retail property.

Although you are probably aware that you need to provide ramps in addition to stairs to aid in accessibility if your business has more than one level, small business owners often overlook single step-downs that might exist within their property.

Take the time to walk through your retail location to check for any single step-downs that could be making it difficult for disabled customers to navigate your store. Eliminate these steps to ensure customers can access every part of your retail location:

2. Lower the height of switches and thermostats.

If you want to remodel your retail location, you should do so with the needs of disabled customers in mind. While it might be easy for an able-bodied person to use a light switch or thermostat that is installed lower on the wall than usual, a disabled person can find it very challenging to reach high enough to operate traditional switches and thermostats.

Making the choice to lower these devices will ensure that your small business can employ disabled individuals and give them the freedom to maintain your retail location autonomously.

3. Make sure your doors are accessible.

Doors often present a unique barrier for individuals with mobility issues. It can be challenging to open a door while simultaneously trying to maneuver a wheelchair or walker. Paying close attention to your retail doors' characteristics will allow you to replace these doors with more accessible ones.

Be sure your doors are equipped with locks that can be operated from a seated position, and ensure that your company's doors can be operated automatically to allow disabled employees and customers easy-access to your retail location.

Finding simple ways to make your small business more accessible shows that you care about your customers. Consider eliminating all steps from your retail location, lowering switches and thermostats, and installing accessible doors in the future.

Contact a company like State-Wide Lock & Safe Inc for more information and assistance.