As part of our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, and supporting the unique needs of our customers and policyholders, our Disability Adaptations and Awareness Training is being further enhanced with a view to a company-wide rollout later this year.
With Copart handling over 500,000 vehicles each year, it will be no surprise to hear that a significant proportion have adaptation devices fitted, providing a mobility solution for travel and an improved quality of driving for the owner.
This could be anything from hand controls, steering aids, and brake boosters to pedal extensions, swivel seats, and steps…to name just a few.
But not all adaptions are obvious, and some can make the receiving of a vehicle a little more challenging, especially if our operational teammates are unsure of what the adaptions are.
With that in mind, our Copart Training Team has been busy enhancing our existing training to include a more in-depth focus on Disability Adaptations for operational teammates (drivers, receivers, and customer-facing roles), and Disability Awareness for all 1,300+ teammates across our business.
We are rolling out this out to all teammates using a combination of face-to-face and online methods, alongside an annual refresher course and access to dedicated resources and support on Copart’s internal Training Hub.
For our operational teammates, taking our technical training up to the next level will help them to identify vehicles with added adaptions, understand why these are needed and how they might affect the receiving of a vehicle, and to ensure that all descriptions for our buyers include the relevant information.
Company-wide awareness training will follow, highlighting the different types of disabilities customers and policyholders may have and how we can provide the best support to ensure that an inclusive and high standard of service is maintained.
Fundamental to this is ensuring that teammates have the necessary knowledge to signpost customers to our range of accessible facilities and equipment, such as ramps and hearing loops, and are aware of communication adjustments that may be required for those who need it.
Copart’s Training Manager, Sarah Oakman, said:
“Our Training Team has worked incredibly hard to develop these courses to enhance the technical skills of our teammates who are responsible for handling and receiving adapted vehicles, ensuring that all the necessary information is recorded for our buyers when these vehicles go into our global online auctions.
We are also mindful that more than one in five of our customers is likely to have a disability, which may not be immediately visible, and we must ensure that they are treated with courtesy and respect.
Therefore, Disability Awareness training for all teammates is included in line with our Copart Cares commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, to ensure that the needs of our customers are met, and the same high standard of service is delivered to all.”