Team GB wheelchair basketball athlete, Sophie Carrigill: Thoughts on accessible facilities

Team GB wheelchair basketball athlete and Paralympian, Sophie Carrigill, recently spoke to Motionspot about her positive, and not so positive, experiences of accessible facilities in public venues.

Non-accessible bathrooms in places such as hotels and restaurants are often very luxurious. In contrast, the lack of thought and effort that goes into the equivalent accessible facilities can be frustrating.

Getting accessible facilities right isn’t just the ethical thing to do, it makes strong business sense too. With stats like:

• 43% of disabled people reporting abandoning shopping trip due to barriers encountered (Business Disability Forum)
• UK businesses losing £2 billion a month by not considering the barriers that disabled people face (UK Government)

As Sophie says: ‘When businesses get it right, it feels like they are valuing me as a person…I will spend more of my time going to those places.’

Accessible bathrooms are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other ways the built environment can enable or disable people with different protected characteristics. Motionspot supports businesses to create uplifting, inclusive facilities that welcome all – from hotels, leisure, and retail, to workplaces and education.