{"id":238490,"date":"2017-08-31T20:58:17","date_gmt":"2017-08-31T20:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/facingdisability.com\/blog\/?p=238490"},"modified":"2017-08-31T21:11:14","modified_gmt":"2017-08-31T21:11:14","slug":"meet-woman-trying-get-disabled-mannequins-windows-britains-biggest-shops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/facingdisability.com\/blog\/meet-woman-trying-get-disabled-mannequins-windows-britains-biggest-shops","title":{"rendered":"Meet The Woman Trying To Get Disabled Mannequins Into The Windows Of Britain’s Biggest Shops"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sophie Morgan, a British model, artist and TV presenter, is on a mission to change the way the world perceives disability. In this article from BuzzFeed News<\/a>, she discusses how the Mannequal, a wheelchair designed for mannequins, has the potential to open doors now closed to people with disabilities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Morgan inspiration came from a recent shopping trip in London’s busy Covent Garden when she decided to check out the Charlotte Tilbury makeup store, which is right in the heart of the cobbled shopping district.<\/p>\n

\n Morgan is a TV presenter for the BBC and Channel 4, including for the documentary series Unreported World. She is also director of a property investment company, a trained artist, a model, an ambassador for the charity Scope, and a wheelchair user.<\/p>\n

When she approached the luxury store, which is fronted by a beautiful maroon and gold facade, she realized there was no ramp. This presented a problem for Morgan, who was paralyzed from the chest down in a car crash at the age of 18.<\/p>\n

She waited outside the store and a shop assistant asked her what she wanted. When Morgan explained she wanted to come into the store, they said there was nothing they could do to help her in because the store did not have disabled access.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Watch Lisa Rosen, MS, share solutions to accessibility issues after SCI.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n \u201cI was infuriated. Totally and utterly infuriated. I didn\u2019t know where to turn, I didn\u2019t know who I could complain to \u2013 I just thought it was really unfair,\u201d she tells BuzzFeed News. She considered writing a letter to the management, but decided against it.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cFor me it\u2019s not the end of the world, and I\u2019m quite used to it, but if I was a young girl, really excited [to be visiting the store], then I would be made to feel really unwelcome, and that\u2019s not a very nice thing at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n There are guidelines in place to try to prevent, where possible, this sort of situation from happening. The Equality Act deems it organizations\u2019 duty to make \u201creasonable adjustments\u201d to ensure their services can be accessed by disabled people, where it is practical.<\/p>\n

\n But there are \u201cloopholes\u201d because the law is \u201cvery vague\u201d on what exactly reasonable means, meaning accessibility varies widely from street to street and from city to city, Morgan says.<\/p>\n

\n Research earlier this year from disability group DisabledGo found that nearly a quarter of UK fashion retailers have no step-free access and only 10% offer hearing loops to help shoppers with hearing aids.<\/p>\n

\n Even if a shop has invested in improving access in-store, staff can accidentally create barriers for disabled shoppers, such as using an accessible changing room as a temporary stock room, Morgan says.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI was in a shop called & Other Stories [in Oxford Circus, London]. They\u2019ve got on the left what\u2019s meant to be a wheelchair-accessible changing room. I\u2019ve been in there twice now and it\u2019s always full of stock, they don\u2019t have it open,\u201d she says. \u201cThey just looked at me awkwardly and passed me on to a manager who didn\u2019t know what to do and gave me a discount… And that\u2019s a brand new shop in one of the busiest shopping centers on the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n There is a huge pool of disabled spending power they could be tapping into, she says, the so-called \u201cpurple pound\u201d estimated to be worth \u00a3249 billion to the economy. One in five people in the UK have some form of disability, be that limited mobility or a hearing or visual impairment. \u201cThat’s enormous,” Morgan says. And yet disabled people can feel \u201costracized\u201d from the high street.<\/p>\n

\n Her solution is a scheme she describes as a bit like a \u201cMichelin guide\u201d for disabled shoppers, symbolized by something called the Mannequal. It’s a wheelchair for mannequins, designed for stores to put in their display windows as a sign of inclusivity, and to send the message to disabled consumers that they are welcome inside.
\n Morgan designed it herself in 2010 and approached a number of chains with it. Now she has drawn up a new hit list of companies she will start approaching next month.
\n It’s ambitious.<\/p>\n

“You name it,\u201d she says. \u201cIt’s the H&M\u2019s, the Topshops, the big high street shops, but also the likes of Selfridges, the John Lewises, the M&S\u2019s \u2013 all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Morgan is conscious that she does not want to come across as \u201cmilitant\u201d in her aim, and she doesn’t want to guilt businesses into making changes. But she wants to encourage them to think more carefully about disability access because it’s the right thing to do, and because it makes business sense.<\/p>\n

She had a run of limited success with the Mannequal in 2010 but was ultimately left disappointed. The year she launched it, Debenhams displayed it as part of one of its fashion campaigns; Adidas, too, displayed it during the 2012 Paralympics.<\/p>\n

But Morgan was left disheartened when the sports brand then removed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiterally the day the games finished, the chair was out,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I was two steps forward, five steps back. It was really frustrating.\u201d
\n She also had conversations with Topshop at the time, “the holy grail of the high street”, which she says fell through, leaving her \u201cso demoralized I sort of put it to one side\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so disheartened that the idea had been treated so badly and wasn\u2019t really treated as significant,\u201d she tells BuzzFeed News.<\/p>\n

\n But now, older and wiser, she is resurrecting it with renewed vigour.
\n At the time, nobody had properly calculated the value of the purple pound and Morgan thinks this is what ultimately held her back.<\/p>\n

\n As a businesswoman herself, Sophie understands money – “the language they speak”- and hopes that armed with these figures she can encourage companies to see that investing in making life easier for disabled shoppers will ultimately create a return.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWhen I was knocking on doors seven years ago and no one was answering, I knew it was because I couldn\u2019t say to them \u2018I\u2019m of value\u2019, but now I know I can say I\u2019m of value and they\u2019ll say \u2018Yeah, I think you\u2019re right.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe have to be able to prove our worth, and I know that\u2019s sad but it\u2019s the times we live in. It\u2019d be great if all the big CEOs of these companies did this just because they thought it was the right thing to do. But they don\u2019t. Because they don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to bring them in money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n This time the Mannequal will be offered alongside consultancy from Enhance the UK, a charity that offers \u201call-round disability awareness\u201d to organizations to challenge \u201cthe attitudes, perceptions, and expectations\u201d surrounding disability.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s about trying to improve standards so things get normalized,\u201d Morgan explains. The Mannequal in the window should be \u201cthe last step\u201d a shop takes in its journey to become more accessible.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cBehind that should be all the other things they\u2019ve considered \u2013 training their staff and improving the shopping experience for every type of impairment before they consider putting that in their window,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

They should think first about practical changes, like making aisles wider, adding easily visible contrasting colors on clothes hangers for visually impaired people, or installing grab handles on the walls so that people with limited mobility can get items down from a rail rather than having to ask someone for help.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that sounds like a lot but really it\u2019s not. [Compared with] the amount of things they [already] think about, this is just another part of the lexicon of design. It\u2019s not huge and complicated, it’s creative,\u201d Morgan tells BuzzFeed News.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI want them to get that it\u2019s not just about popping a mannequin or a ramp in the shop.\u201d
\n In recent years, brands have invested more and more in showing disabled catwalk models, or creating adverts that feature disabled people, which Morgan applauds. But she hopes her work with the Mannequal will bring about a longer-term commitment to change.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s more than just a campaign: We are part of society and we\u2019re completely left out of this entire space… We do see the odd thing and it is encouraging that there are disabled models being used, but it does feel a bit tokenistic sometimes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, popping up on a catwalk every now and again gets headlines, I just don\u2019t see it trickling down and normalizing disability on the high street. I still have a really difficult time accessing goods and services.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds: \u201cIt isn\u2019t changing the game on the high street that needs to be changed, and that\u2019s what I want to do now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Morgan also thinks disabled people get less attention than other groups. \u201cThere are various other minority groups being represented and considered but disability still seems to be the last one, and I still struggle to see why that is,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\n She understands that high street chains may feel they are taking a risk by putting their heads above the parapet, and may view the Mannequal with \u201ctrepidation\u201d because displaying it is almost like claiming \u201cWe have totally nailed our access,\u201d which, Morgan admits, could put them \u201cin a quite vulnerable position if they\u2019re not accessible all over the country\u201d.<\/p>\n

\n But she thinks the business case \u201cis very compelling\u201d. Her challenge will be convincing the fashion world of this.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI want it to act as a symbol. If you were walking down the street and you saw a mannequin sat in a Mannequal, you would think: \u2018That shop has everything I need \u2013 it has bigger changing rooms, the staff have been trained, and it\u2019s got access, and also attitudes are better in there.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very idealistic and I\u2019m thinking ahead, but that\u2019s what I\u2019ve always wanted it to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

BuzzFeed News invited Topshop, Debenhams, Adidas, Charlotte Tilbury and & Other Stories to comment on Sophie’s experience.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Charlotte Tilbury extended “heartfelt apologies” to Sophie. While the lower ground floor was not accessible, there was a ramp that could be fitted to the step on the ground floor, “so it’s very sad to hear that we have fallen short this time.” She added all staff were “awareness trained” and the store would be happy to hear from Sophie about any recommended changes.<\/p>\n

\n “We do our utmost to ensure our compliance with the Equality Act 2010 at all times,” the spokesperson added. “We appreciate that access to services is not just about installing ramps and widening doorways to wheelchair users, it is about making services easier to use for all disabled people and please be assured that we are committed to achieving this.”<\/p>\n

\n & Other Stories said it took Sophie’s experience “very seriously” and had now made store staff aware of the issue. “We\u2019ve taken this complaint to heart and are very sorry to hear that Sophie Morgan has experienced such poor access,” a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

“They are meant to be inclusive to everyone who wants to shop at & Other Stories and we sincerely apologize that they weren\u2019t accessible when she visited.”<\/p>\n

Adidas, meanwhile, said it was “wholeheartedly committed to diversity and championing concepts that allow us to better support consumers with disabilities.”
\n The retail landscape had evolved dramatically since 2012, a spokesperson said, with stores becoming increasingly digitized, making mannequins “perhaps not as common as they once were” but she said it would “welcome the opportunity” to discuss the concept of digitally displayed wheelchair mannequins with Sophie.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Debenhams said it regularly trialed new visual merchandising concepts in store and would consider the Mannequal for future displays.<\/p>\n

Topshop did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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