A gold-medal winning Paralympian has criticised retail businesses after experiencing difficulties accessing shops in her wheelchair.
Sophie Christiansen, who has cerebral palsy, told BBC Online “nothing has changed” since she recorded a video of her trying enter shops in Farnborough, Hampshire, in 2021.
The BBC said Ms Christiansen posted a video on Instagram, recorded two years ago, showing her trying to enter a convenience store and being prevented by a small step.
She said the store fulfilled its legal requirements as it was able to provide a portable ramp, but it “took forever” for staff to put it in place.
She told reporters: “It is things like that we face every day as wheelchair users to get over a single step which could be made into a ramp, if people could be bothered.”
The BBC noted that the Equality Act 2010 requires “reasonable adjustments” to be made to buildings to allow accessibility. It said it had not received a response from the store operator.
Ms Christiansen, who has won eight Paralympic Games golds and was appointed an OBE in 2009, told the BBC the current legislation “doesn’t go far enough”.
She said: “Many shops don’t know their responsibilities. What are the local councils doing to help educate them about their responsibilities?”
She called for proper enforcement of the Equality Act and for “accessibility officers” to be sent to check on and advise businesses, similar to Covid officers during the pandemic.
In 2019 South Western Railway apologised to Ms Christiansen when she was left in tears when there was no guard to help her off a train.
The BBC reported that the government is currently consulting on its new Disability Action Plan.
