Major department store improves experience for disabled shoppers thanks to campaigning DMU Journalism student


A campaigning Journalism student at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has changed the way a major city centre department store welcomes people with disabilities during the Christmas sales.

SIMON FENWICK main pic

Second year Simon Sansome, a wheelchair-user, wrote a blog piece on the DMU Centre For Journalism's website Leicestershire Press about his experience of getting around Fenwick's Belvoir Street store during last year's Boxing Day sales.

Simon's blog, which was also posted on his Ability Access Facebook page, told how he had to wait for a ramp to get him into the store, extra aisles had been added meaning it was hard to navigate the floors and there were queues for the lift.

The article went viral with 11,500 views and he was invited to tell his story during a live broadcast on BBC Radio Leicester on Thursday.

He today praised Fenwick who have announced they will be introducing a better system to ensure people with disabilities have as good a shopping experience as anyone else. But he has also pointed out that many more shops in the city centre have room for improvement when it comes to accessibility and could take the same approach as Fenwick.

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Simon said: "Fenwick's are leading the way realising that many of the people who benefit from the sales are people with disabilities. Now that a major city centre story has recognised they need to make some changes to the way they operate Christmas sales, other stores should follow suit".

Simon had turned up for the sales at 5am on Boxing Day last year and joined a long queue. When he came to a step at the entrance there were delays getting a ramp and people were trying to get around him to grab their bargains.

Simon added: "At the time I suppose it was amusing but I am an active campaigner for equality and in retrospect I felt something needed to be done about it."

A spokesman for Fenwick said: "Unfortunately ours is one of the oldest department stores in the city, built in 1886 for Joseph Johnston.

"We do all we can to accommodate disabled customers, indeed we have regulars who drive their mobility scooters into the store every day on their way to the restaurant, as there are several entrances into the store without steps.

"We will endeavour to make sure that on Boxing Day we ensure that disabled customers are given priority through the disabled access on Bowling Green Street and Market Street, and hope that any future difficulties are kept to a minimum."

You can hear Simon's interview on the Jonathan Lampon show here

And you can read Simon's original blog, called Braving the Sales in my Wheelchair, here

Posted on Friday 9 December 2016

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