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Purple Tuesday (The day of the disabled consumer) , 7th November, Ron Short Centre, Beau Sejour 11 am
We are proud to announce the reopening of the Ron Short Centre’s Function Hall and Shop completely redesigned and rebuilt as a fully accessible shop staffed by people with disabilities.
The project has been funded by two grants from the Guernsey Community Foundation of £45k (function hall) and £23k (Shop) as well as public donations and legacies and with technical support from M&S Guernsey and Creasey’s Department Store.
The Function Hall is where our Living Well, Training and Social Enterprise Programs take place. It will also now be available for hire by any group who wants to hold functions in a fully disability accessible environment. The shop will be the first purpose designed accessible retail space in the island. It features wide automatic doors, continuous flooring for wheelchair users, a colour scheme designed with people with visual impairments in mind and a host of carefully designed features to make the shop truly accessible to disabled consumers. This has meant many innovations including designing shop displays at dual levels to accommodate those standing and those at wheelchair height. Our new shop will make shopping dignified and easy. UnLtd hope that this shop will demonstrate to other retailers the practical changes they can make to include this important part of our island community. Many local shops do not have these features and have obstacles which impede access. The value of the Purple pound in Guernsey has been estimated to be over £200m and it is unfortunate that many shop still are not accessible which forces the disabled consumer to buy off-island via the internet or post. Sam Patch “Its as if some shops don’t want our money, the obstacles they put in our way. It makes me mad!”
And the accessibility goes further. Our staff will be our members with disabilities who will be receiving training in modern retail practices. Les Banks, UnLtd’s Social Enterprise Manager, says “its really important that our shop is thoroughly modern in its approach and systems and we are so grateful for the input of M&S Guernsey and Creasey’s Department Store into designing the new shop. This means that training in our shop will be transferable to the modern retail environment. ”The shop has been designed with the help of M&S Guernsey & Creasey’s Department Store who are members of UnLtd’s Industry Advisory Board Chaired by Sir John Collins who has many years of retail experience in his past role as Chairman of the UK wide retailer Dixons. Charlotte Arnold from M&S Guernsey “We are so pleased and proud to have been a part of this important initiative which is breaking new ground in accessible retailing”
The shop will sell the traditional second-hand goods presented in a fresh and appealing way but will also sell the goods and services created by UnLtd’s workforce Currently these consist of a series of crafting products. A section of the shop will sell enabling technology allowing islanders with disabilities to source the equipment and software which make their lives easier at home, work or leisure. The technology includes the highly innovative Y push wheelchair and also voice to text software and a range of enabling and assistive technologies aimed and people with disabilities. Later in the year UnLtd will be opening an Enabling Technology Suite supported by the Sure Foundation which will demonstrate and train in this technology.
The Ron Short Centre was originally built in the 1970’s, when the importance of fostering a more inclusive world by making society more accessible was less well understood. Fortunately, today we are much more committed to helping everyone in our community live a full and independent life. The Centre is currently undergoing a major rebuild to create a model of accessibility. Our goal is to create a space that allows people with disabilities to do as much for themselves as possible. We are making adaptations for people with physical, sensory, and neurological impairments.
Purple Tuesday is celebrated annually to highlight the importance of the disabled consumer. In the UK it is estimated at the spend of the disabled consumer is £276 Billion yet despite this important potential market 75% of disabled consumers say that they have regularly been unable to gain access to businesses such that ther custom goes elsewhere. In Guernsey this would equate to £276 Million spend. People with disabilities often spend more on internet and telecommunications and the share of supermarket and high street spend is considerable. With the introduction of the equalities legislation there will be a gradual cultural shift in Guernsey towards recognising the rights of disabled people to gain access to goods and services. Many businesses seem unaware of these opportunities and instead fear that they might have to make expensive and business impeding changes. Unltd sees it as its role to help businesses better integrate people with disabilities. Shop UnLtd will demonstrate the simple but effective charges that can make all the difference.
Later this year Untd will also be launching its Disability Confidence Training programme which will help employers and employees become more confident at navigating the issues of serving customers with disabilities.
For further information contact Tim Feak, Development Manager, UnLtd@RonShort: Development@UnLtd.gg
