Raising awareness of invisible disability
Gatwick Airport has announced that it will install new signage to its accessible toilets to raise awareness of invisible health conditions.
Wednesday, 27 Mar 2019 16:40 GMT
Julie Ayres, Andy Pule and Dan McLean, staff at Gatwick Airport with Dan McLean of Chrohn’s and Colitis UK and Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport
The switch up will be undertaken as part of Chrohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week. At least 300,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease, with someone in the UK diagnosed every 30 minutes.
Chrohn’s and Colitis UK, a national charity leading the battle against Chrohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is behind the campaign. The signage features the tagline “Not every disability is visible” and was made possible by a successful UK public campaign for support by the charity.
The signs also include symbols for a man and a woman, a move which Stewart Wingate, chief executive officer of the airport, says was to ensure that passengers with a disability that is not immediately obvious can feel comfortable entering the facility.
We also hope that this move will help to raise awareness that a significant proportion of the UK population may have a hidden disability”
Wingate adds: “We recognise that a significant proportion of the UK population has a hidden disability and – as part of our journey to make Gatwick accessible to all – we are delighted to be able to say we have changed over 50 toilet signs across the airport.
We also hope that this move will help to raise awareness that a significant proportion of the UK population may have a hidden disability.”
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