A nonprofit will host a workshop Tuesday morning in south Evanston to improve business owners’ communications with disabled customers and clientele.

The Networking Breakfast and Disability Awareness Boot Camp, which will be held at 824 Dempster St., is hosted by JJ’s List, a nonprofit that aims to integrate disability-accessible marketing and confident customer services into core business practices,in collaboration with the Evanston Chamber of Commerce.

Participants must register online to participate in the session. Breakfast and networking will begin at 7:45 a.m. and conclude at 9:15 a.m.

People with disabilities are the fastest-growing minority group in the country with more than $200 billion in spending power, making awareness crucial, according to the JJ’s List website.

“After learning from JJ’s List that people with disabilities have over $200 billion in spending power, I’m excited to see what Chamber members can do to better engage their customers and staff with disabilities,” said Jessica VandenBergh, manager of administration at the Chamber, in an email to The Daily. “JJ’s List does a great job of providing that education. Having family members with disabilities, I’m also interested to see what information I can take home as well.”

Business owners may sign up at the breakfast for the JJ’s List free directory, which connects owners to 30,000 other disability-aware partners. The directory is a part of Search, Inc.and it also helps disabled community members find jobs.

JJ’s List provides training to businesses to help them accommodate disabled customers’ needs. Businesses that complete the training receive the “Disability-Aware Business Seal of Approval.”

JJ Hanley, founder and executive director of JJ’s List, said training like the kind the organization provides can be beneficial to all types of businesses.

“It doesn’t matter whether your business is small or large,” Hanley said in an email. “Owners, managers and staff need to make sure they know how to communicate with people who have disabilities confidently and appropriately.”

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