Purple Tuesday 💜

Image Description: A black and white photo of Ellie smiling in her prom dress with a Purple Heart emoji in the corner.

 Just wanted to post the content of an Instagram post I wrote for Purple Tuesday (3rd November) I wrote earlier this week. Purple Tuesday is a day and initiative to raise awareness of disabled consumers and improve the accessibility of the retail sector in particular. Accessibility should be important everyday though!:)

I will back with a new Disability Fact Friday post next week, and hopefully more blog posts on other topics before then.

Today is #PurpleTuesday, so I’m posting about this instead of my usual #DisabilityTopicTuesday. It’s a day aimed at making organisations more accessible for disabled people and raising awareness of how this can be achieved. @purpletuesnov

This photo is of me before my school prom. Many things have changed then. I’ve graduated from school, university, and unfortunately, the world has been turned upside down by a global pandemic to name a few! One thing that still needs to change is the accessibility of shops, businesses and workplaces. The retail sector is obviously struggling right now, and it is safer to shop online wherever you can. But when it is safe, shops should be made accessible to disabled people. When I was little, I loved shopping. As I got older, it got harder and more tedious. I had to navigate shops with my electric wheelchair, I can’t easily see what is on the shelves and can’t reach to pay at checkouts and cash points. While it is a luxury to be able to buy things, physically shopping should be made easier and safer. On that note, if you need to go shopping in person right now - please wear a face covering unless you’re exempt. 💜

The same logic can be applied to workplaces across every sector. I read a piece today that said a fifth of employers were less likely to hire a disabled candidate (BBC News, 2020, cite Leonard Cheshire charity). This is so sad to me, and should be for us all. Please - see the value of disabled people both spending and earning money! 💜

Source: BBC News (2020) Coronavirus: ‘Bosses should be more open-minded about hiring disabled people’. Available online.

Link to source: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/business-54693622

Link to Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHIjsBkpU5A/

Thanks for reading!

Ellie