Campaigner who calls out store's access invited in

6 hours ago

Jack Maclean,in Norwichand

Neve Gordon-Farleigh

Rebecca Scollay said even small changes were a "step forward for accessibility"

Norfolk Photography Rebecca Scollay sitting outdoors in her wheelchair. She is wearing a black long-sleeved T-shirt and is looking up at the camera. The sun is on her. The trees behind her are casting a shadow. She has auburn hair with a fringe and is wearing glasses. — Rebecca Scollay said even small changes were a "step forward for accessibility"

A disability campaigner who called out a department store's lack of accessibility hopes meaningful change will come from speaking up.

Rebecca Scollay, 30, uses a wheelchair because of fatigue and pain caused by chronic health conditions.

Posting about accessibility in Norwich on social media, she highlighted difficulties she had faced in the city's branch of John Lewis - and was surprised when she was then invited to the shop to share her experiences with staff.

She said she wished more shops had "the humility to reach out". A John Lewis spokesman said it wanted to make every customer's visit easier.

Scollay said she had been "just existing", as her conditions were causing her to stay home.

She spent her savings on a "life-changing" power-assisted wheelchair, and found people's perceptions of her changed.

She said: "I don't know why but people don't look down. They don't see me... it makes me feel like a piece of furniture.

"It is quite dehumanising."

Scollay had struggled to get her power-assisted chair into the lift

@disabled_in_norfolk Rebecca Scollay in her wheelchair trying to get into a lift in the Norwich John Lewis department store. — Scollay had struggled to get her power-assisted chair into the lift

At the Norwich John Lewis store, she said the lift had not been not big enough for her chair, there had not been enough signage to navigate the four floors and she had felt pitied by a member of staff.

She said: "You go in thinking it's a big department store so it's going to be accessible... I didn't find it to be that way and I made a video to say that."

Jack Baxter said nothing was "at the right height" for customers who used wheelchairs

Jack Maclean/BBC Jack Baxter is sitting down at a desk on a green chair. He is looking directly at the camera and smiling. He has a white, floaty long-sleeved T-shirt on and a lanyard around his neck. — Jack Baxter said nothing was "at the right height" for customers who used wheelchairs

The video was seen by the store's equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) lead, Jack Baxter, who said it had been important to understand Scollay's experiences.

He met Scollay and spent time in a wheelchair to see the store from her perspective.

He said: "Trying to shop in our environment, nothing is at the right height for you in a wheelchair...

"Things have to be, practically, at a certain height, like dresses for example. If not, they are dragging on the floor.

"It's about understanding the frustration and the level of effort it takes — after two hours in a wheelchair I was absolutely exhausted."

Baxter will take the ideas discussed with Scollay about improving accessibility to the central John Lewis EDI team.

He said: "As a business, we are widely inclusive and all of our customers are important to us and if we can make everyone's journey through the business just a little bit nicer and a little bit easier then what's not to love about that."

Scollay said: "I'm really hopeful the changes we are talking about, like signage and putting lines on the store to the other lift, will make a big difference to people trying to navigate the store."