“Disability is a difficult subject for some people because it’s just too easy to avoid it.”
DisabledGo, who aim to maximise independence and choice for disabled people in accessing their local area and the places we all want to visit, have recently tackled the issue of accessibility on the High Street in a new report for which they visited and assessed 30,000 shops and restaurants nationwide in person from disability perspective.
The study estimated that disabled people could spend up to £200bn this Christmas, so how can retail outlets welcome this revenue when they don’t cater for them? The report showed that less than a third of departments have accessible changing rooms, two thirds of retail staff have no training in how to help disabled customers and 40% of restaurants have no accessible toilet at all!
Mark Harper, Minister of State for Disabled People said: “Everyone deserves to be able to go Christmas shopping or enjoy a festive meal or drink with their friends or colleagues. Disabled people are no exception. I’m calling on the retail and hospitality industry to look at what more they can do to better cater for disabled people.”
Something which is key to remember is that different disabilities bring different challenges and our friend Tanvi Vyas from the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign Trailblazers explains more and shares a typical high street experience in this video.
We believe that one step towards increased accessibility on the High Street which would allow a greater spend by disabled shopper would be the provision of an accessible Changing Places toilet. A standard disabled or accessible toilet is fine for users with some independence, but what about those who need extra room for carers or family? When a hoist and changing table are required to change pads as and when children and adults with profound and multiple learning and/or other physical disabilities, Changing Places are vital. Without Changing Places toilets, severely disabled people have to stay at home or lay on dirty toilet floors. Something that no one wants to do and no one should have to as shown below by Joshua Wilson!
Astor-Bannerman make up one half of Aveso – The official sponsors of the Changing Places campaign and manufacture equipment for such facilities as well as offering expert advice for those considering Changing Places.
You can read the full report by DisabledGo here
If you would like more information on how Astor-Bannerman can help with Changing Places click here
