Research shows that the spending power of disabled people and their families is worth £274bn and is estimated to rise by 14% per year. Despite these figures, just 10% of organisations have a targeted plan to access the disability market.

Purple was founded by Mike Adams with the aim to raise awareness and action around accessible shopping. The Purple Tuesday initiative was created to improve understanding of the needs of disabled people and encourage organisations to make public commitments to implement sustainable changes.

The initiative is free for organisations to join, with the only requirement being that they make a clear and public commitment to improving the customer experience for disabled people. Over 2,000 organisations have joined the movement, with a celebration of those involved taking place on Tuesday 2 November 2021.

For those organisations looking to improve their experience for disabled people, the Purple Tuesday initiative has provided some simple suggestions for change. Completing an online accessibility audit can help brands to identify where improvements can be made on the company website. To help identify where improvements could be made to a physical space, organisations can also complete a site access audit.

Providing customer service training can improve staff awareness of disabilities and help them to confidently communicate without fear of causing offence.

Among this year’s supporting organisations were Sainsbury’s and Asda, who have decided to take part in the UK’s first ever accessible shopping day on 13 November. Sainsburys will introduce two quiet hours to provide a quieter environment with dimmed lights for those with autism to shop more comfortably. Asda has implemented its own version of ‘Quieter Hour’ and trained 85,000 members of staff to better serve its customers.

Both Sainsburys and Asda have extended the trial of its Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme, which encourages people with hidden disabilities to pick up and wear a sunflower lanyard, which will act as a discreet sign to store colleagues to recognise they may need additional support.

West Ham United football club has joined Purple Tuesday and worked with its Disabled Supporters’ Board to carry out an audit test of the club’s website and improve online accessibility. This includes a screen reader, keyboard and video accessibility.

The Standard Chartered Bank signalled its support for the initiative by launching a special sign language proposition for the hearing impaired and acting as the 2021 Banking Sector Partner for the campaign.

Find out more about Purple Tuesday and the initiatives from its supporting partners here.