A local grocery store’s helping people with a disability to do their shopping with ease.
White’s IGA at Baringa is trialling the locally-developed Cérge App, to make shopping a more inclusive experience for those with a both a visible and non-visible disability.
Director Roz White says the app will allow people with a disability to alert staff when they are coming into our store, so workers can make the necessary modifications to ensure their experience is pleasurable.
“It’s great that [store manager Lauri Adams] and her team are mindful of this and small changes like improving access, a welcoming smile, instore support and even turning down the music can make a big difference.
“This trial will help us determine what works and what doesn’t work and how can we make the process more feasible across all our five White’s IGA stores as well as the wider IGA family across Australia,” Ms White says.
Sunshine Coast resident and disability advocate Dane Cross has long-supported the development of the Cérge App.
“As a person with 20 years of lived experience with disability, I have encountered both the very best and worst in customer service. What I’ve found is that businesses often lack ‘disability confidence’.
He says businesses often don’t know how to approach, let alone assist, a customer with disability.
“Innovation such as what the Cérge app offers is going to completely change that. It removes that ‘awkward’ initial interaction associated with asking “how can I assist you today?” The customer service staff already know, because that information has been communicated via the App.”
“I’m personally excited by White’s IGA Baringa jumping on board with Cérge. I can’t tell you how many additional hours I have spent inside supermarket isles waiting for a fellow customer to walk by so that I could ask them to grab an item from a high shelf for me.”
Mr Cross is hoping more businesses will start using the app, which he says has also been adopted by Nambour Aquatic Centre, Murrys on Sixth, Murrys on Duport.
Extracted from Hot91
