Businesses and organisations across the UK are hosting a series of events on Tuesday 4th November, to celebrate Purple Tuesday, the global initiative to improve the customer experience for disabled people and their families. There are 16 million disabled people in the UK (24% of the population or one in five of us), whilst 80% have a disabled friend or relative, so improved accessibility is good for business and should matter to everyone.

Now in its eighth-year, Purple Tuesday sees businesses, community groups and other organisations across the UK, pulling out all the stops to raise awareness of the importance of accessibility. Activity will include purple-themed events, awareness sessions with guest speakers, in-house training, panel discussions and interactive workshops – an array of engaging initiatives accessible for all.

Disabled households in the UK have a combined spending power of £274 billion per year*, known as the Purple Pound. However, 75% of disabled consumers report leaving a business due to poor accessibility and UK firms lose an estimated £2 billion per month in potential revenue as a result.

The theme for Purple Tuesday this year is ‘Think Accessibility’, celebrating local organisations who are getting accessibility right, as experienced by their disabled customers, whether it’s improved online or physical access, helpful staff, a more sensitive sensory environment or clear communication and signage. Purple Tuesday are encouraging communities to share positive examples of accessibility in action, via social media using #ThinkAccessibility, to inspire and encourage others to adopt good practices on a day-to-day basis.

In the last year alone, Purple Tuesday has supported organisations to deliver 8,000 new accessibility changes to improve the customer experience for disabled people and their families. A record 8,500 organisations across 13 countries are taking part in this year’s Purple Tuesday, with national events taking place in the UK, Jersey, Germany, the UAE, Oman Hong Kong, Malaysia, Pakistan and the USA.

Official celebrations will kick off in London on Tuesday 4th November, where Purple Tuesday partners and disabled ambassadors will come together to see the famous Piccadilly lights turn purple and watch the premiere of the new Purple Tuesday Production.

Later on in the day, there will a groundbreaking collaboration between Purple Tuesday, drone art curators Lumina, and Ambassador and author Shani Dhanda, hosted by Westfield London shopping centre in White City. This first-of-its-kind light show will combine breathtaking aerial artistry, to bring to life the award-winning story that celebrates the beauty of inclusion “The No Horn Unicorn”. The design is low-noise and sensory-considerate, making it perfect for neurodiverse and disabled audiences.

Mike Adams OBE, Executive Chair of Purple Group and Founder of Purple Tuesday, said:

“As we celebrate the eighth year of Purple Tuesday, it’s fantastic to see the continued commitment shown by our participants, to keep working towards a world where accessibility is everywhere, for everyone. So often the focus of accessibility campaigning is to highlight the places that are getting it wrong. I believe we should also celebrate the good – those businesses that are making a positive difference to the lives of disabled people every day. Using our #ThinkAccessibility theme, I hope that by showcasing good practice, we will inspire others who may be falling short, to begin their own accessibility journey this year.”

Jamie Kerruish, Chief Healthcare Officer for Boots, and Executive sponsor for the Boots Disability Alliance Business Resource Group, said:
“At Boots, we have proudly supported Purple Tuesday for five years and remain committed to creating a more inclusive shopping environment for disabled customers. This year, we are offering all our store colleagues the opportunity to learn and understand some key phrases in British Sign Language so they can continue to welcome and support some of our deaf and hard of hearing customers. I encourage other organisations to join the Purple Tuesday movement to ensure that the joy of shopping is accessible for all.”

Purple Tuesday connects disabled people with businesses – from global giants to micro enterprises – and is dedicated to promoting a more accessible and inclusive world by highlighting the value and contributions of people with disabilities as consumers, employees, and community members. It is an open invitation to the disability and business communities to shift perceptions and celebrate inclusion and accessibility in all forms.

Visit https://purpletuesday.co for more information. #PurpleTuesday or #ThinkAccessibility