Wheelchair users are being deprived of the opportunity to sample the festive attractions of their local high streets due to access and security worries, according to a new survey by the disability charity Vitalise.
The Vitalise study found that 7 out of 10 disabled shoppers (69%) felt little or no security when paying for items at non-lowered shop counters with fixed chip & PIN machines.
At the same time, over 8 out of 10 disabled people and carers (84%) had experienced problems with the accessibility of major high street stores and over half (55%) had been subjected to negative or unwelcoming treatment from shop staff.
The lack of accessibility is forcing disabled people off the UK's high streets and towards online shopping as their only option. Nearly 7 out of 10 respondents (69%) said a lack of accessibility had put them off visiting the high street to do their Christmas shopping, although 9 out of 10 (89%) said they would return to the high street if they were reassured that the experience would be fully accessible, the study found.
But a lack of accessibility information on the leading stores' websites is compounding the problem and helping to keep disabled people away from the high street, suggests Vitalise.
Over 6 out of 10 respondents (61%) characterised the accessibility information about department stores and major retail chains on their websites as poor or virtually non-existent, causing 6 out of 10 (60%) to decide not to visit a major high street store or switch to a different store.
In the light of its research, Vitalise is urging all leading high street retailers to pay more attention to accessibility in their stores - and the information they provide online - in order to give disabled people and their carers the same choice between in-store and online shopping as everyone else.
In addition, Vitalise is urging people to support #AccessNow, its campaign to enlist the support of people with disabilities in its push for urgent improvements to accessibility.
Further information about the Vitalise survey is available: http://www.vitalise.org.uk/about_us/press_office/vitalise-accessible-shopping-survey-launched
Further information about #AccessNow is available: http://www.vitalise.org.uk/about_us/press_office/more-accessibility-now-says-vitalise