The title here has been taken from a song originally by The Jam and then covered by Noel Gallagher. I was recently listening to this in the car on holiday with my family in South Devon and it sparked an internal conversation with myself; it was thought-provoking.
Essentially, the song alludes to fame, success and inclusion and finding acceptance only because of the fame and success. In reflection of recent events it made me feel that I would just like to be included, and that abled-bodied people were the ‘Someone’ that I wanted to be; I just want to be treated the same way as the rest of society, accepted at all costs rather than being frowned upon because I was a burden or an inconvenience. It’s unacceptable not to be accepted.
Imagine you’re with your children on holiday, by the beach and treats and sweets are small pleasures we take at this time of year; everyone loves an ice cream on the esplanade or promenade, right? They offer 90 different flavours. I love a mint-choc-chip myself.
But there’s a problem, a physical barrier in the way; I can’t get into the shop in my wheelchair.
This scene is played out perfectly in the fantastic new Paralympian film on Channel 4 (Super Human - seen here) where we see rugby player Kylie Grimes denied access into Larry’s Café because of the step outside. She turns and retires, swearing under her breath. That was me, is me and will now be me going forward, forever... unless things change.
Some things are changing though, quite literally. Changing Places toilets are now popping up all over the UK, and this is a big deal and needs to be shouted about like my colleague Kerry Thompson (Changing Places Support Officer) shouts with so much enthusiasm. It is a very taboo subject but one that needs to be brought to the forefront. I hold my hands up when I’m slow on the uptake of a campaign and Kerry is streets ahead of me, and I commend her for all her hard work and campaigning for others. The Changing Places consortium is a group of organisations working to support the rights of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and/or other physical disabilities. Established in 2005, the consortium campaigns for Changing Places to be installed in all big public places so people can access their community.
So we’re now, slowly but surely, finding it easier to spend a penny. But what about going back to spending our pounds? Why am I not able to buy my girls an ice cream on holiday? Why is my money less acceptable than other people’s money?
I think it’s time we spoke about the ‘Purple Pound’. The Purple Pound refers to the spending power of disabled households. A disabled household is a household in which at least one of the members of the family has a disability. Organisations are missing out on the business of disabled consumers due to poor accessibility (both physical and digitally) and not being disability-confident in their customer services approach.
I’ll give you just three statistics to think about:
Business lost in the UK because disability considerations have not been made or met:
· High Street shops lose £267 million per year
· Supermarkets lose £501 million per year
· Banks and Building societies lose £935 million per year
So you can see that the Purple Pound is very big and powerful. The annual spending power of disabled people and their households continues to increase (14% each year), and is currently estimated to be worth £274 billion per year to UK businesses.
Why do businesses not want the Purple Pound, and as a society why do we accept this?
When we think of diversity and inclusion nowadays, we know that many conversations are being had and that people are learning so much, so fast and this is fantastic. But why is it considered acceptable that disabled people are not included in so much? This attitude simply would not be accepted if different demographics in our society where treated this way, and rightly so.
In November 2010 the food hygiene rating scheme (FHRS), which operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, was formally launched. This is a system that tells the public how hygienic an establishment is before you walk through the door. Most places have stickers on the doors or windows, and all can be found online too.
What if we carried out similar tests in businesses to see how accessible they were? What if there was a ratings system for disabled consumers?
We’ve seen with the FHRS that 5 star establishments get the most custom, so the same would happen with disability, surely? Or will this never happen because so many businesses would come in at a one or two star rating? The FHRS rating is a badge of honour for a business, and its standard of disabled accessibility should be too. Or are we just paying lip service to inclusivity?
I am writing from a personal standpoint of utter frustration here, but I’m now going to actively campaign more as I have been massively inspired by my colleague Kerry Thompson, the Changing Places network, my friend Rich Copson (co-founder Access Rating App) - who has been talking about these subjects for a while now - and the wonderfully powerful Paralympics advert on Channel 4.
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Nearly every day something changes for me, I am always learning and I need to adapt and adjust. With my muscle-wasting condition things change quickly; one day I can lift my mug of tea to my mouth and the next I have to have a smaller cup and not a large mug. Sadly, many of us could easily be affected by disability; in the blink of an eye our lives can change. As always, I like to think of others; if my experiences are negative ones then it is always going to be the same or worse for others, and I don’t want that. One thing I’ve learnt quite quickly is to never take anything for granted, and I see that as a very positive thing. I feel lucky to think that way.
To be someone must be a wonderful thing. But I don’t want the guitar-shaped swimming pool in the song, I don’t want to be a famous footballer or to be rich and have a lot of fans, have a lot of girls to prove that I’m a man...
All I want is to be able to go to the toilet when I need to when I’m out and about. All I want is to enjoy that mint-choc-chip ice cream on the prom with my girls. All I want is to go for an all-day breakfast in a café like Kylie Grimes. All I want is a fairer and equal world for others.
All I want is some small changes that could make a huge difference.
#ChangingPlaces
#SuperHuman
#Paralympics
