Jubilee Mobility calls on shop owners to do more to accommodate disabled people

 

Jubilee Mobility, a top UK provider of wheelchair accessible vehicles, have responded to findings that two thirds of shops in the UK are lacking basic measures to help disabled people.

Two in three shops in the UK are without the basic measures needed to cater for people who disabled, a newly released Government-supported audit from DisabledGo has discovered.

It was also discovered that one in three department stores don’t provide changing rooms that are wheelchair accessible and that two thirds of retail staff haven’t been given the proper training to help customers who are disabled.

The minister for disabled people, Mark Harper, called on shops to do more to cater for disabled individuals: “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.”

It’s not just shops that are problematic as auditors also discovered significant issues with restaurants, finding that almost half (40%) don’t provide disabled-accessible toilets and only a quarter provide menus for the visually impaired.

Chairman of DisabledGo, Barry Stevenson, said: “It doesn’t need to cost a fortune to do the right thing. It could be the deciding factor for disabled customers between you and a competitor. It’s entirely unacceptable for disabled people, their family, friends and carers not to be able to access all high street shops and facilities.”

Jubilee Mobility, a UK-based seller of wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs), often share their thoughts on related industry news. They believe more needs to be done by shops to accommodate disabled people.

A representative for Jubilee Mobility said: “A lot has been done in the last few decades to improve transport options for people who are disabled but these findings seem to suggest that shops, restaurants and more are struggling to keep up, which is a real shame.

“Disabled people currently have more options than ever when it comes to getting about, especially if they have a WAV to travel in, but that’s being negated by the fact that a lot of points of interest, whether shops or restaurants, aren’t able to provide disabled-friendly facilities. More needs to be done to incentivise business owners.”

To find out more about Jubilee Mobility and the wheelchair accessible vehicles they sell, visit their website at http://jubileemobility.co.uk/.