A Kirkham-based community champion has started a campaign to raise awareness on hidden disabilities in the retail environment and beyond.
Rad Tingle, came up with idea of Invisible Disabilities, after observing customers in the Morrisons supermarket struggling to do their grocery shopping, due to the loud atmosphere and to bring light on his own experiences.
In 2018, Morrisons launched the ‘Quieter Hour’ initiative nationwide with the support of the National Autistic Society.
Taking place every Saturday from 9am to 10am, music is turned off in the store and the lights are dim, to help people who are autistic or those with autistic children that can find shopping in a supermarket an anxious experience.
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The Invisible Disabilities campaign was launched on Monday 3 October. The community champion aims for the movement to be instilled in all retail supermarkets and local businesses across the country, to make sure that people with disabilities are treated like everyone else.
Rad, has been battling with cancer for the past ten years and is blind and deaf in the left side of his body. He told Blog Preston that due to his disabilities not being visible it can create misunderstandings with customers.
The 32-year-old said: “Quite often I’m being asked questions from customers, and I can’t see them or I can’t hear them on the left side of myself, and then I’m getting a really bad response about it, because I’m not paying enough attention.”
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Every Monday, an evening meeting is held in the Morrisons cafe in Kirkham, where colleagues and the local community get together to have conversations on how the personal customer service can be improved.
The meetings are also a way for people to open up about issues they normally wouldn’t share with others.
Rad, told Blog Preston how the first meeting went and what usually happens during the meet-ups. He said: “It was very new for all of us because we didn’t know each other that well or we didn’t meet before. We had a proper conversation regarding what people ask for verbally day to day and their experiences whilst shopping.
“It’s like a one to one gathering information together and speaking about our own problems and our lives outside work too. What I’m trying to do is to listen to people, which is the most important thing for me.”
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Alongside this, Rad, has plans to launch a trading for colleagues across the Morrisons franchise, so they are aware on how to respond when a customer is experiencing difficulties.
He said: “I had a situation working at the checkouts where a mum was doing a payment for shopping, she had two children whilst she was doing her shopping and they both started crying.
“I was stood nearby and it was really natural to pay a little attention to her children just to distract them while she was packing her stuff, so she doesn’t have to stress because it creates a massive impact.”
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Rad, said the campaign is here to stay: “I won’t stop it. I want it to go on constantly. I want it to be open to everybody at any point.”
“It’s had a really big response from people and especially local customers who were interested in what we can do, and how we can make all the people aware of what is happening within the community.”
To find out more visit the Facebook page for Morrisons Kirkham Community Champion.
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What do you think of the Invisible Disabilities campaign? Let us know in the comments below.