Sainsbury’s, I don't need a lanyard to warn you about my disability – you need to provide better training

Sunflower season may be over but Sainsbury’s wants to see more in bloom this autumn following its latest announcement. On Monday, the retail giant rolled out its latest inclusion scheme across the country, centred on helping customers with invisible disabilities. From this week, shoppers nationwide will be able to collect a special sunflower lanyard in store, which will help staff identify them as people who might need additional support to complete their shopping. Tesco has also been trialling the lanyards this year, taking inspiration from an initiative first launched at Gatwick Airport.

On the surface, the Sainsbury’s scheme, which Argos is also rolling out today, seems like a win for the disabled community. The non-disabled world is finally waking up to the fact that disabled people battle countless barriers just to function within a society not well set-up for difference. This affects everything from grocery shopping to job hunting. In principle, it’s a good thing to recognise that extra support or adaptations might be useful for disabled people. And the more awareness we can raise that disability isn’t always visible, the better.

Take away the glossy packaging, however, and we find a different story. No matter how well-intentioned, Sainsbury’s plan is just another example of a dangerously naive “inclusion” initiative which causes more harm than good. Sunflower lanyards might work well for individual cases but it’s immensely worrying that our answer to exclusion is to “other” those whom society already devalues at every level. Making people display their difference shouldn’t be the answer.

Inclusion isn’t putting the onus on the disadvantaged to ensure we are included. Disabled people face constant discrimination and, as such, it’s understandable that many of us don’t want to announce our disability to a world which may treat us differently because of it. In addition, visibly flagging the need for extra support simply feeds the narrative that disabled people are a burden, a necessary yet costly expense which society has to shoulder.

Another major issue with such schemes is their tokenism. Inclusion can’t be checked off in one programme, however well-trialled or marketed. Although some disabled Twitter users were welcoming Monday’s announcement, many have also been criticising Sainsbury’s for its unthinking neglect of disabled customers when it comes to online shopping. In its drive to reduce plastic waste, the retailer has opted to end the use of all bags in its online deliveries, which has created big problems for many disabled shoppers who prefer or are only able to buy online, rather than go in store. Accessibility isn’t something organisations can just add to their basket; if it’s to mean anything, or be effective, it has to permeate every decision and every level of service.

Making meaningful change involves altering society and its systems to be inclusive to all rather than forcing marginalised groups to mark out their difference. In Sainsbury’s case, this would involve funding specific disability training for all their staff, as standard, so they’re prepared to assist all their customers in the different ways they need, no matter what that looks like.

Perhaps then introducing lanyards for staff that demonstrate their openness to being asked for help. It would include updating the technology of self-service machines to ensure displays are as easy to navigate as possible, integrating voice commands, and making websites disability friendly too. It would also mean Sainsbury’s examining its own inclusion practices and looking at how it hires, treats and supports disabled staff.

It’s important to note that there is a difference between the use of sunflower lanyards in airports and in stores. Airport visits are, for most, an infrequent experience. They involve specific elements such as security and moving through very large crowds where, for now, lanyards alerting assisting staff can be very helpful. In such time-sensitive conditions where you pass through many hands, there can be a use for identifying ribbons.

What can’t be allowed to happen, however, is deciding that inclusion must mean highlighting someone’s difference rather than taking away the barriers which turn that difference into a problem.

Of course it’s great that major brands are getting serious about inclusion but they need to realise there’s a massive amount at stake here. Poorly considered or “one and done” approaches have the power to hurt, not help, the disabled community. What needs to grow isn’t sunflowers but a true understanding of disability access and inclusion so we can reshape society to work for all.

Liz Johnson is a paralympic swimming champion and co-founder of The Ability People