Power NI Marks Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Northern Ireland’s leading electricity provider, Power NI, is marking Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), in order to raise awareness of digital accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Power NI has made significant long-term investment in inclusive customer care and catering to customers’ individual needs through training staff to the highest standards and supporting local groups, charities and partnerships. The electricity supplier is one of just nine countries in the world to achieve the ISO 22458 Inclusive Service Kitemark and the sole electricity provided to receive the certification.

Gwyneth Compston, CSR Manager at Power NI, said:

“As the world becomes increasingly reliant on digital technology, Global Accessibility Awareness Day provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of making services as accessible and inclusive as possible for customers with additional needs. We place a huge focus on our customer care, and our staff are continuously undergoing training to upskill and ensure they can provide excellent customer experience to all.

“Our website is powered by the digital inclusion application, ReachDeck, giving our customers the tools to access information in their required format, making it more accessible for people who may have disabilities, visual impairments, limited digital skills, or non-native speakers. Power NI is also recognised on the Silktide Index as the UK’s most accessible utility provider website.

“Power NI staff are trained to better communicate with customers with hearing impairments and are JAM Card friendly, trained to recognise those who may have communication barriers or hidden disabilities and may require more time and care to attend to their needs.”

The company audited every step in their customer service process and some of the services provided to customers include supplying bills in different formats, such as braille, large print, or as a talking bill, as well as eliminating jargon and unnecessary detail from interactions with customers. Doorstep services also take in to account the needs of elderly customers or those with mobility issues, or health conditions. 

According to the 2021 census, in Northern Ireland one person in four (24.3% or 463,000 people) had a limiting long-term health problem or disability.