How local businesses can support customers with hidden disabilities

Businesses in Bridgend County Borough are being encouraged to sign up to a scheme which ensures that people who may have a disability that is not immediately obvious can receive help and support.

Designed to provide people with a subtle means of identifying themselves as someone who may need additional help, time or assistance when shopping or visiting the premises of a local business, the Hidden Disabilities initiative provides a card which can be carried or worn as a lanyard.

Featuring a distinctive sunflower motif on a green background, the cards are already in use at supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsburys as well as a wide range of smaller stores and shops.

Hidden disabilities can include learning difficulties, mental health issues, impairments to mobility, speech, vision or hearing, lung conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic illnesses such as renal failure, diabetes and sleep disorders.

Not all disabilities are visible, and it is not always obvious when someone may require extra support.

This scheme offers an excellent way of ensuring that people who require additional support can receive it when visiting a participating local shop, and I hope that more traders and businesses will sign up to the initiative.

Councillor Rhys Goode, Cabinet Member for Future Generations

To find out more about the scheme, visit www.hiddendisabilitiesstore.com