Wheelchair user slams Topshop after accessible changing room was filled with sale stock
Wheelchair user Nina Grant has hit out at Topshop after she was forced to use a standing changing room when an assistant showed her the accessible one was crammed full of stock
TOPSHOP has come under fire from a wheelchair user after staff store filled the accessible changing room with sale items, leaving her nowhere to try on items.
Nina Grant, 32, was furious when a shop assistant at the chain’s Palace Exchange branch in Enfield, North London, stopped her changing in the designated fitting room.
The worker pulled back the curtain to show the room was filled with stock hanging on rails.
Nina says she had to squeeze into a standing changing room while her wheelchair was left sticking out as she attempted to try on a top .
The 32-year-old, who suffers from a severe form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, says she is frustrated by the number of stores who see disabled changing rooms “as the extension of a store room”.
Topshop said it had have contacted Nina about the issue.
Nina said: “When I got to the changing rooms the assistant told me straight away that I couldn’t use the accessible changing rooms and that I would need to use a normal one.
“She was really helpful and did show me the changing room and the rails of clothes being stored in there to explain why.
“It was packed full of clothing rails filled with sale stock.
“Unfortunately, you just get used to shops using accessible toilets and changing rooms for storage.
“I’ve had disabled toilets packed full of nappy bins, zimmer frames and even bikes before.
“I felt like the assistant’s reaction made it clear that this isn’t a one off as she told me as soon as I got to the fitting rooms.
"The smaller changing rooms also don’t have an emergency pull cord for someone to use if they need emergency assistance.
"I don't normally feel strong enough to try items on in shops as my syndrome can cause me to have extreme fatigue and pain, which makes everyday tasks hard.
"I think out of the average 30 days in a month, on 29 of them my Ehlers-Danlos is bad."
Nina's condition means she has to use a wheelchair every day and pain that makes it impossible to walk.
People with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome can have unstable joints that can dislocate easily, fragile skin that often breaks and joint hypermobility meaning that joints can move beyond the normal and expected range.
After trying on the top, freelance writer Nina decided to go and take a picture of the clothes being stored in the fitting room so she could raise awareness of the issues disabled people face.
Topshop did respond to her and reassured Nina that they would remind staff that the accessible changing rooms aren’t to be used for storage and that they are working closely with charities to ensure everyone has the same opportunities in their stores.
Nina said: “While I was squeezing in there I realised how angry I was, and I decided to take a picture of it when I got out.
“I took the picture and posted it online as I thought that would be the best place to get a response from them and I also complained through head office.
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“I just hope that they do actually do something.
“I’m not going to charge in there to check the changing rooms but if I do happen to be in there in the future I will just have a quick glance to make sure the accessible changing room isn’t being used as storage.
“I really want to raise awareness of this issue as it is becoming more and more common and something needs to be done nationally in all retailers.”
A spokesperson for Topshop said: “We are in direct contact with the customer with regard to this.”
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