Make shopping fun for people with disabilities, here’s how to do it

Shopping often ends up being a stressful experience for people with disabilities.
A little planning in advance can make it a fun, exciting experience.

For some people, shopping is a great stress-buster and a fun experience. It’s as aspect that most people with disabilities tend to miss out for many reasons. Which is a huge loss from a brands perspective because people with disabilities are consumers too.

Stores must also work on the accessibility aspect by reaching out to people with all kinds of disabilities. Like, training staff to be sensitive to people with different types of disabilities so that when a blind or deaf person comes shopping, they know how to help the customer.

This is exactly what Future Retail Group is looking to enable with it’s #Sabke Liye. Vineet Saraiwala, the Inclusion Lead here says small little things go a long way to make the shopping experience fun.

People with intellectual disabilities can have a great shopping experience by making a list of things that they want before going. When it comes to a visually impaired person looking to shop for clothes or fashion, it is best to tell the store manager you need a fashion expert who can guide you. Whether you are a wheelchair user or visually impaired person, it is best to know the mall or store layout as well. Do not hesitate to seek for help if you need it. – Vineet Saraiwala, Inclusion Lead, Future Retail Group

Here are some tips to make shopping fun for people with disabilities:

• Plan your list – It is important to know what you want to shop and how you want to do it. So planning is an essential thing before you shop. You can write down what you need on a notepad that can be carried to the store. If you are visually impaired person, get you list done beforehand and hand it over to store assistant who can help you get what you need.
• Avoid shopping on holidays– This is because malls and stores can get overcrowded on a holiday which makes shopping difficult for a disabled person. Getting an accessible parking space will also be a tough task. So it is best to go out for shopping on a weekday so that you can make the best out of it.
• Ask for help – Before visiting a store, try and check out on their reviews of how disabled friendly the staffs are. So when you want some help in picking up things, you can always get it without difficulty. In fact, you can hand them over the list so that they can pick up things from the various racks since they would know what is placed where.
• View products online first – These days, most of the stores have an online shopping portal. So if you plan to visit a store, it is best to try and check out what they have to offer beforehand itself. Make a quick visit to their website so that you know what to expect. If something interests you, make a note of that and show it to the store assistant who will guide you to the product.

For wheelchair user Pulkit Sharma, a standard rule is to avoid crowded places. “I prefer not to go to crowded places because people tend to push each other and sometimes even forget to behave themselves. So it is best to avoid such shopping places. Malls are the best option if you are going out with family or friends. You can go to any shops because malls are mostly accessible and that is the most important thing according to me. Accessibility matters a lot.

There are many stores that provide home delivery. So try and make the maximum out of it. Do not forget online shopping options too!

ALSO READ: Some shopping tips for blind people

Watch in Sign Language