Disabled people are being ‘driven’ from the high street due to poor access and security concerns, according to a new survey.
The study, by disability charity Vitalise, warns that wheelchair users have no option but to do their Christmas shopping online as the majority (69%) said they felt unsafe using fixed chip & PIN machines at shop counters.
The study, released on ‘Black Friday’, also reveals that eight out of 10 disabled people said they had experienced problems with the accessibility of major high street stores and over half (55%) had experienced poor treatment from shop staff.
Chief executive of Vitalise, Chris Simmonds, said: ‘Today is ‘Black Friday’ - the busiest online shopping day of the year, but we shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking all disabled people are doing their Christmas shopping online out of choice. In fact they have no choice, since the high street stores are effectively off limits to them due to poor accessibility, negative attitudes and a lack of information.’
The charity found that 74% of high street stores had no accessibility information on their websites, leading to 60% of disabled people deciding not to visit.
‘Maybe department stores and high street chains are happy with the way things are,’ added Simmonds. ‘ Maybe they would prefer it if disabled people did all their shopping with them online, so they don’t have to spend any money on accessible adaptations. Why else would they have so little information about the accessibility of their stores online?’
