Statistics show that 83 per cent of disabled customers have taken their business to a more accessible competitor in the past, while disabled customers account for 20 per cent of the average business customer base, which equates to a market worth an annual £80 billion.

Brian Wisdom, chief executive of People 1st, said: "Businesses will be short-sighted if they don't harness the power of the Paralympic Games and ensure their service is accessible and disability-friendly.

"Over ten million people are classified as having a disability in the UK – equivalent to 20 per cent of businesses' customer base."

People 1st, with the support of VisitEngland, is introducing the WorldHost training programme to raise the standard and delivery of customer service training in the UK.

The programme includes additional learning modules on serving customers with disabilities.

It covers topics such as knowing the right language to use and being aware of feelings, misconceptions and biases.

Marc Woods, a Paralympic gold medallist and BBC commentator, said: "Disability is always relative to the task in hand and there are some very simple things businesses can do to be welcoming to those with disabilities.

"Access is often an issue, but what makes a meaningful difference is the way in which people behave.

"Ignorance breeds fear, and debunking some of the myths around disability will have a real impact on how staff treat disabled customers.

"Simply remembering that respectful and friendly service makes a lasting impression whether your customer is disabled or not."

WorldHost has already been used successfully at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, where it was used to train 39,000 volunteers and tourism staff earlier this year.

It has the backing of the Institute of Directors and leading businesses including McDonald's - who will be embedding the WorldHost customer service training in their employee development programme - and Flybe.

Wisdom says: "Putting aside equality obligations, ensuring people with disabilities are served simply makes good business sense.

"There is a lot of focus on developing the infrastructure for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games but not enough on ensuring we have the softer skills needed to welcome the world to Britain, and this is particularly true for meeting the needs of customers with disabilities.

"It's anticipated that up to half a million visitors will arrive for the Games and we need to ensure their experience of Britain is a very positive one.

The UK's HLTT sector needs to raise its game in customer service standards if it is to take advantage of the estimated £2 billion that could be generated from visitors around London 2012.

The UK is ranked a disappointing 14th in the international customer service rankings and 13th for its perceived "Welcome" by the annual Nation Brand Index Survey.

People 1st's State of the Nation 2010 research report highlighted that 65 per cent of businesses reporting skills gaps said staff lacked necessary customer service skills.

World Host's tips for improving communication with customers who have disabilities include: treat all customers as you would like to be treated, make no assumptions or generalisations, pity is not an emotion that disabled people appreciate, disabled people are not all alike, there are ranges of abilities and not everyone requires or wants your help; do not be afraid to ask what you can do to help.

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