The following Partners and Sponsors help make Bendigo Marketplacea great place to shop!
Discovery Science & Technology Centre
Bendigo Health
Coliban Water
BUILDING COMMUNICATION BRIDGES IN BENDIGO
"GOOD COMMUNICATION IS GOOD BUSINESS"
Bendigo Marketplace and Bendigo Health have partnered to create one of the first communication friendly shopping environments in Regional Victoria for people who have little or no speech. Clients at two disability day services, Scope, Golden North and Peter Harcourt are also active participants in the project.
Centre Management, Cleaning Staff, Security Staff and 13 Retailers have embraced the “Good Communication is Good Business” initiative.
The Good Communication is Good Business program will enable customers with little or no speech to join the other shoppers in Bendigo in enjoying the pleasures of’ ‘retail therapy’.
In order to create a communication friendly environment, we need to involve members of our community and
we aim to give community members understanding and tools for better communication. When Shopping, people with little or no speech would be able to communicate more effectively through the use of custom made picture based communication aids located at each participating Retailer.
We have become aware over time that both customers with little or no speech and Retailers have experienced a level of frustration when a customer is unable to get their message across through speech. Our shopping centre is physically accessible to people with disability, but we can now see that for people with little or no speech we have to consider how they communicate once they are in the shops.
This project has provided Bendigo Marketplace Retailers, and staff with the tools and skills to offer excellent customers service to all of our customers.
The “Good Communication is Good Business” program was launched on Tuesday 14th August at Bendigo Marketplace.
