Today (November 3rd) marks Purple Tuesday; a day where hundreds of retailers take part in focusing their efforts on making shopping easier for people with disabilities. After all, it really makes no sense for shops not to take these issues into account when £249 billion is spent by disabled people every year.
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In order for stores to enjoy the "Purple Pound", they have to be willing to provide access to the fifth of the country that are disabled. Purple Tuesday was founded by entrepreneur Mike Adams to raise awareness for these issues, and force shops to focus on helping disabled shoppers enjoy a stress-free experience.
Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, Asda and Argos and many others are getting involved in training their staff on disability issues and making pledges to improve their service for everyone.
While the issue of accessibility for people with wheelchairs and mobility issues is, of course, a key issue, only 5% of disabled people are wheelchair users. More ramps, accessible fitting rooms and wider areas between shelves and clothing rails still needs to be addressed, but accessibility is about a lot more than that.
Purple Tuesday highlights other disabilities you wouldn't necessarily spot immediately; those with visual and hearing impairments, those with autism and learning difficulties, chronic pain disorders and anxiety issues.
More stores need to make the effort in adding braille signs or large print menus, clothing sizes and prices, and less than a quarter of stores currently provide hearing loops for people with hearing aids. But making shopping easier for disabled people doesn't necessarily have to cost anything to the retailer.
Simple things to implement would be to introduce quiet areas with softer lighting and no loud music for people with autism and anxiety disorders, and providing more seating areas in large shops for people with mobility and pain issues. Providing training for staff in how to deal with customers with mental health difficulties, such as learning to recognise an anxiety attack, would also go a long way in improving accessibility too.
Training staff on how to speak to disabled people in general is of paramount importance. Many shop assistants are afraid to speak to disabled people out of fear of offending them, and others simply do not have the patience. People with verbal struggles - such as stammering - often find themselves avoiding shops because of the time it takes for them to talk to assistants, while more than a quarter of autistic people in a National Autistic Society survey revealed they had been asked to leave shops for reasons relating to their condition.
Naturally, Purple Tuesday has its critics; some people believe that it will give shops the excuse to be complacent after doing their bit on this one day of the year, and don't believe it will do much to change the experience of shopping for the disabled. But even if stores only implement one change a year in order to make life easier, we'll no doubt be looking at a much more inclusive future with the continuation of movements like this.