Disabled Shoppers Face High Street Hassle

Muscular dystrophy campaign group, Trailblazers, has published a report that outlines the issues faced by disabled shoppers on UK high streets.

The Short Changed report asked a hundred 16-30 year olds with disabilities about their experiences in shopping and town centres and considered issues such as toilets, changing rooms and lift access.

Inadequate Accessibility

The results of the report were less than satisfactory, with three quarters of those asked saying that they felt disabled access in their area wasn’t good enough.  The lack of accessibility led many of those who responded to feel that they were often left with no option but to shop online.

Alongside poor access, the attitude of store staff was also ranked highly as a factor that put disabled people off visiting their local shops.  Many said that they felt ‘invisible’ and that staff were discourteous and rude, often ignoring disabled customers and talking directly to their carer or companion instead.

Disabled shoppers commented on the misuse of designated facilities like changing rooms and toilets.  According to the Trailblazers findings, these are frequency used as store cupboards, rendering them useless for their intended purpose.

17 year old Laura, from Suffolk, has minicore myopathy, a type of muscular dystrophy and regularly faces issues when she tries to go shopping with her friends: “As much as I love shopping, sometimes it can feel like a military operation.  No matter how much planning I do there’s always a problem.

“Sometimes I can barely move between the packed clothes rails and steps between levels so some areas of the shop are completely inaccessible.”

Disabled Shopping Guide

The results of the report were used by Trailblazers to compile a guide for high street retailers, giving them useful information about ways they could improve the shopping experience as a whole for people with disabilities.  Small changes like making sure pathways in shops were kept clear or offering to carry items for disabled shoppers were suggested as easy ways to make life easier.

Trailblazers project manager, Tanvi Vyas, said: “Although disabled people contribute up to £80 billion to the UK economy each year, many businesses are still undervaluing and alienating this market.”

For more details of the study click Trailblazers report here.