'Purple Tuesday' is the UK's first accessible shopping day

'Purple Tuesday' is the UK's first accessible shopping day

 

 

November 13, 2018, in the UK for the first time, "Purple Tuesday" was held - the day of accessible shopping for people with disabilities. The action was supported by more than 600 stores and brands across the country. The project was initiated by the disability organization ‘Purple’. Purple Tuesday was supported by Sarah Newton, Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work.

According to official data, nearly one in every five people in the UK has a disability or impairment, and over half of households have a connection to someone with a disability. Their collective spending power – the Purple Pound – is worth £249 billion to the UK economy. However, this potential is not being fully realized. There are still real (and perceived) barriers that make it harder for disabled people to find work, spend money online and in store, and enjoy a drink or meal out.


The aim of Purple Tuesday is to make customer-facing businesses more aware of these opportunities and challenges and inspire them to make changes to improve the disabled customer experience over the long term. 

 


Sarah Newton, Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work, says:
“Ensuring that disabled people are able to access shops, restaurants and clubs isn’t just the right thing to do - it makes business sense too. By failing to cater to their disabled customers, many businesses are missing out on the spending power of disabled people and are denying them the opportunity to enjoy something which many people take for granted”.

 

Image: Mike Adams, the chief executive of Purple
Mike Adams, the chief executive of Purple (Source)


In addition to providing architectural accessibility to shops and trade centers for people with wheelchairs, a comfortable, accessible environment includes working with employees. For this purpose, special trainings are held to explain to the staff how to communicate with blind or deaf customers, what rules apply to service dogs and other similar nuances.


Purple Tuesday Official Website: https://purpletuesday.org.uk/

Mike Adams video (in English with subtitles):