Disabled girl refused access to shop

[joanbyers]

www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2123850_disabled_girl_treated_like_a_fool_in_coop_store

It seems that the girl had knocked a display on a previous occasion, with her wheelchair, which they had picked up, and they said she wasn't allowed in.

Shop apparently crowded/narrow.

I'm shocked that they said "no children in wheelchairs allowed in the shop anymore!" What person (or business) would think this is in any way acceptable?

As far as displays are concerned, we've struggled with DS2's wheelchair in shops (just as some I imagine struggle with pushchairs). The combination of narrow aisles and displays is just ridiculous. Combine that with busy Christmas shopping, and it's never easy to get through a shop without bumping into someone or something.

We won't be using Co-op foods anymore.

'A most unfortunate misunderstanding'- yeah right! Weasel words. Poor kid, rubbish that its her local store too.

How disgraceful.

Some serious staff retraining required there.

Awful. I hope other locals find somewhere else to shop now they shouldn't be able to treat anyone like that.

They retracted that she wasn't allowed in the shop and said she could use the shop if she was being pushed manually and was going slowly. They should have just said that in the first place, as its a fair compromise.

Poor girl, that's terrible. I find a lot of shops difficult just with a stroller so can only imagine how frustrating it must be with a wheelchair. There should be some sort of industry guidelines re aisle clearances for access. M&s is a terrible offender, and looking at it from their perspective, they should realise that a shop looks a million times better, easier to navigate and find stuff for anyone not just those using wheels, if it is laid out properly. Mary portas never leaves small spaces and displays in the middle of floors!

She should be allowed in the shop whetehr she's been pushed or whether she's operating the wheelchair hersself - its illegal to say any different. If there's been an incident the could perhaps suggest that she's pushed as the aisles are narrow but even that's a bit shit.

My dd tripped when little and flattened the pick and mix stand in our local co-op. Smashed it to bits. We weren't banned!

I dunno, DH & I were discussing how small the shops are in our town (rural old market). Can't get a pram in many, either. The town is dying on its feet (rapidly losing retailers). No money to invest to make each shop unit larger & cater to modern needs. There has to be room for compromise or towns like ours are going to suffer even more.

There's a difference between small local shops in old / listed buildings where it's impossible to make modifications to the layout, vs a co-op. I have never seen a really tiny one, they are small supermarkets? With control over their shelving and display unit layouts?

Poor kid. Is it even legal to refuse access on account of disability?

Agree with RikersBeard about the need for guidelines re aisle clearances for access. One of our local (in)convienience stores has aisles so narrow that I can't go around it with DS in his pushchair. I have to leave him at the end of the aisles and race up and down the shelves if I ever need to go in that shop. It would be impossible for anyone in a wheelchair.

Oh, poor little girl, that's horrendous.

It almost wouldn't be so bad if they had challenged adults who would be able to stand up for themselves but a 14 year old and her disabled 7 year old niece

This bit is so sad
?Sometimes I don?t feel human and may as well be dust because people like the Co-op man think I?m a fool.?

You'd expect better of the Co-op, which in general tries to have decent ethical standards.

This comment on the piece says it: 'What was the unfortunate misunderstanding - that you could still discriminate on the grounds of disability in the UK?'

Mm, I have to say that there were occasions when dd2 was little in her wheelchair or using her walker that I used discretion and didn't enter stores where she would inadvertently wreak carnage - because of the completely inadequate nature of their store layout - overstocked and too narrow for disabled access.

A store deliberately turning my kid away, however, would have had the wrath of satan on their head.

Misunderstanding, indeed.

Mind you, dd2 could knock over stands in freaking waitrose, in a ten foot wide aisle. her particular variety of cp meant that she was given a manual wheelchair, but the pattern of her movement meant that her arm motion caused her head to bow, so if she was pushing or steering, she automatically couldn't see where she was going. She was 'too able' for a power chair, which would have meant she could actually see where she was going.

that's only about half an hour from me. So tempting to take ds1 in and let him run riot in there.

The shelves should be arranged so that the shop is accessible by people using wheelchairs, not bloody banning them!

ds1 was a sod at times when first using his, he thought he was lewis hamilton in it!

I might have exercised a bit of discretion in certain shops, but this isn't some independent business in a tiny premises though, it is a chain store, and the shop is pretty big look

you can see too, the door that is only half open and the baskets are stacked behind it.

I'm not saying the store was in anyway correct in their handling of this matter and the way they spoke to the young girl.

However RickersBeard the COOP local shops can be tiny, in old unsuitable buildings. I can quite imagine knocking displays over in our local store as it is tiny, it also has lots of steps.

It's up to the store to sort the problem.

FatFace are a great store around here when it comes to ease of access around, lots of wide spaces, fully adapted Changing rooms, maybe they could teach Coop some ideas

not this one, hopeforever!

Though having seen the photo (cross post) this is not an old store! No reason to limit widths

Cross post again! :)

Shameful behaviour by the store but I hope that as more and more stupid organisations that don't seem to have noticed the DDA are challenged, even the most dense will eventually realise they can't get away with treating disabled people like scum.

I cant help but wonder what their policy is on employing disabled people.