Pub chain installs signs to raise awareness of hidden disabilities

The pub chain Wetherspoons has teamed up with charity Chron’s and Colitis UK to install signs in all their bathrooms to raise awareness of hidden disabilities following an incident at one of their pubs.

The campaign came about after a student with ulcerative colitis who uses an ostomy bag was questioned and accused of being a drug dealer after using her radar key to access a disabled toilet at a pub in Birmingham. She wrote about her experience in an open letter to Wetherspoons, who responded by making the changes to their pubs across the country. It makes Wetherspoons the first major pub chain to sign up to Chron’s and Colitis UK’s Not Every Disability is Visible campaign. The campaign aims to stop the stigma and discrimination against people with hidden health conditions.

Chron’s and Colitis UK found that over half of people with hidden illnesses felt they were prevented from going to restaurants and pubs because they fear discrimination from staff and other guests. For those with Chron’s Disease, colitis or other digestive disorders, they may look fine by will suffer from frequent and urgent need to use the bathroom as well as having ostomy bags, which will need to be emptied and need the space allowed in an accessible bathroom.

The campaign was launched in April and hopefully, with Wetherspoon’s getting involved there will be more pubs and restaurants coming on board in the coming months.

Speaking to reporters, spokesman for Wetherspoons, Eddie Gershon, said: “We want to make sure all of our customers feel comfortable when visiting any of our pubs. We’re delighted to install these new signs that help to both increase awareness that not all disabilities are visible and to ensure that anyone who needs to can feel confident using our accessible toilets.”