Wheelchair users are being deprived
of the opportunity to sample the festive attractions of their local high
streets due to access and security worries, a new survey by the disability
charity Vitalise has found.
The Vitalise study, released on
'Black Friday', the busiest online shopping day of the year, found that 7 out
of 10 disabled shoppers (69%) felt little or no security when paying for items
at non-lowered shop counters with fixed chip & PIN machines.
At the same time, over 8 out of 10
disabled people and carers (84%) had experienced problems with the
accessibility of major high street stores and over half (55%) had been
subjected to negative or unwelcoming treatment from shop staff.
The lack of accessibility is forcing
disabled people off the UK's high streets and towards online shopping as their
only option. Nearly 7 out of 10 respondents (69%) said a lack of
accessibility had put them off visiting the high street to do their Christmas
shopping, although 9 out of 10 (89%) said they would return to the high street
if they were reassured that the experience would be fully accessible, the study
found.
But a lack of accessibility
information on the leading stores' websites is compounding the problem and
helping to keep disabled people away from the high street, suggests Vitalise.
Over 6 out of 10 respondents (61%) characterised the accessibility information
about department stores and major retail chains on their websites as poor or
virtually non-existent, causing 6 out of 10 (60%) to decide not to visit a
major high street store or switch to a different store.
In the light of the findings,
Vitalise is suggesting that high streets stores may be content to drag their
feet when it comes to making accessible adaptations to their stores, as long as
disabled people continue to shop with them online.
To support its case, the charity's
own research into some of the high streets leading retail brands found that
nearly three quarters (74%) had absolutely no in-store accessibility info on
their websites.
In the light of the research,
Vitalise is urging all leading high street retailers to pay more attention to
accessibility in their stores – and the information they provide online – in
order to give disabled people and their carers the same choice between in-store
and online shopping as everyone else.
Commenting on the charity's survey
findings, Vitalise Chief Executive Chris Simmonds said:
“For most of us, a trip to the high
street to enjoy the lights and the festive atmosphere – and of course do some
gift shopping - is one of the things that makes Christmas special. But our
study has found that many disabled people are being denied this simple
pleasure.
“People with disabilities have every
right to expect the same choices and opportunities as anyone else, and that
includes the choice of where and how they shop. It is just wrong that the
simple pleasure of a trip to the high street is being denied them.
To help make the UK's high street
stores more accessible, Vitalise is urging people to support #AccessNow, the
charity's campaign to enlist the support of people with disabilities in its
push for urgent improvements to accessibility.
Rate accessible shops here.
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