Our guest blogger and disability ambassador, Kelly Allbutt, reflects on her experience as a customer.
Kelly is a disability consultant and disabled content creator, you can follow her on Instagram and Tiktok @Disabledfatandfabulous
Living with a disability
Throughout my life, I have been less inclined to shop at physical or online stores that aren't accessible. I have been registered disabled for the last 6 years, but it’s important to know that I have been living my whole life with disabling conditions. I'm celebrating Purple Tuesday because it highlights important steps that a business can make to ensure they are welcoming ALL customers, including those who don't class themselves as disabled or who have mild impairments.
‘Purple Tuesday is highlighting steps that a business can make to ensure they are welcoming ALL customers’
Some of these actions can be simple and easy to implement, such as ensuring a website is easy to read, widening in-stores aisles. As well as being free of clutter physically and digitally and increasing staff awareness around all types of disability.
Disability products on offer
Many products marketed to disabled people are functional, yet dull and boring. They’re not designed with style in mind; it’s like whoever designed them thought disabled people don’t have personality. The world seems to forget that I’m still a 30-year-old woman with likes and dislikes.
‘The world seems to forget that I’m still a 30-year-old woman with likes and dislikes.’
I’ve been pleased to find companies, such as Invisible Creations, offering practical products in sleek designs. I was excited to find a range of grab rails which offer choice and style to replace the big white clinical looking versions. The Plant Pot Holder Rails on my front and back porch look great, prevent falls, and don’t advertise my vulnerability.
Welcoming disabled customers
‘Invisible Creations is on a mission to disrupt the market with desirable assistive home products. With attractive designs that double up as helpful shelves, mirrors and caddies, they encourage people to install them as preventative features. This helps our customers to delay or prevent falls and supports them to live safe, well and independently for as long as possible in their own home.
‘We have attractive designs that double up as helpful shelves, mirrors and caddy's, they encourage people to install them as preventative features’
Going into 2024, Invisible Creations are excited about the expansion of our HQ site at PROCare Wigan, including the showroom, which will continue to offer an excellent experience for people with disabilities to see, feel and test our extensive range of accessible wet rooms, bathroom appliances and accessories, including our dual-purpose grab rails. Furthermore we are committed to conducting a web accessibility audit of our website and make plans for improvements.’ Says Laura Wood, Director at Invisible Creations.