Idea
'Not Every Disability is Visible' Signage
Category: Facilities
Voting closed
There are more than 12 million disabled persons in the UK, 80% of whom have a hidden disability.
My idea is to add to the current accessible toilet signage around campus with the message, ‘Not Every Disability is Visible’.
In 2015, ten-year-old Grace Warnock, diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, designed her own accessible toilet sign to help raise awareness that some people might not have a visible disability but may still need to use an accessible toilet.
With Grace’s inspiration, Crohn’s & Colitis UK created a national campaign encouraging major supermarkets to install the new awareness signage, with a 100% success rate.
Since then, the ‘Not Every Disability is Visible’ signage has been installed in nearly 2,500 supermarkets, 150 retail areas, and 15 of the UK’s major airports.
A major anxiety for people living with a serious health condition, like Crohn’s or Colitis is being refused toilet access or being confronted about why they are using a disabled facility. In a 2017 survey, 51% of people living with Crohn’s or Colitis said they were verbally challenged or received negative comments simply for trying to use the accessible toilets. While a person might look ‘okay’ on the outside, they may be in a daily battle with a serious medical condition and urgently need to use that ‘disabled’ or ‘accessible’ toilet.
The impact of the campaign has been immense. 80% of people said that they now feel comfortable visiting a site with the signage installed. Similarly, 72% thought that the new signage helped raise awareness of invisible conditions like Crohn’s and Colitis.
Next step:
With the approval of the DSU, I would like to email contact@noteverydisabilityisvisible.org.uk to request Durham University’s partnership package in order to begin the process of installing the signage.
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