Purple Tuesday

Ting. Crash. The beautiful sounds of the triangle and cymbals in concert with about 50 other instruments. It is a hugely privileged experience to hear an orchestra live. Alongside the National Youth Choir. And being able to watch it sitting next to my partner and our three youngest children. On the latter point. It is pretty unique in terms of events. Mentioned a few weeks ago. Purchased tickets for a season festivities extravaganza. Booked a wheelchair user space with us all together. Wasn’t sure of the reality. Have been here so many times when we ended up separated. Often in shouting distance. But apart. My customer experience always being partial. The challenge of accessibility. Tinsel off to the Royal Albert Hall My best ever family customer experience. There. I have said it. Trepidation in my voice when originally rang to enquire. In these circumstances online live chat doesn’t work. But all very straightforward talking to a human. Who understood. And administered. An accessible parking space which was accessible. And clearly trained parking staff in disability awareness. Confident in their conversations. Accessible toilets. No mops or buckets. Great view. And brilliant to see the two BSL interpreters. Purple Tuesday is about the customer experience. Unlocking accessibility. And the social and commercial benefits of doing so. Use my social media platform to show it can be done. And sometimes when it isn’t. Are you sitting with us daddy. Yes. Really. Not a question many of you will routinely have to answer. But still a far too frequent one for families with lived experience of disability. As I got out of my wheelchair to take the evidential visual it was piled with coats and bags. My briefcase knows the feeling. The event had a story. About our obsession with digital media and missing what really matters around you. Listened. Actioned. Last post until second week of January. Not total abstinence. But significantly reduced. On behalf of Kristine, Ruby, Daniel, Evelyn, Eliza and Noah we wish you a happy experience whatever you are doing in the coming days. We value your support as we share our stories to collectively change the disability conversation. I want to play the Harp daddy Friday. #Orchestra #Accessibility #Disability #AccessMatters #CustomerExperience #BSL #PurpleTuesday #DisabilityConversation31 #BeASue Image Description: A split visual of four photos set up in a square. The top left photo is of Mike’s partner with their three youngest children sitting in their seats next to the wheelchair at the Royal Albert Hall. They are dressed in festive jumpers. The top right photo is of Mike with one of his twins with the stage behind them. The bottom right is of Mike with his youngest son and the bottom right is of Mike with his other twin daughter. All three children are wearing reindeer antlers on their heads.

Some briefcases can speak. Or at least write. People have been so kind. Treated like a VIP since I stepped up as Mike Adams new brief case in September. You look young. Shiny. Undamaged. Can’t see any teeth marks. Some of the more flattering comments. I was ready for the challenge. Been waiting a while. Have already experienced the world of inaccessibility first hand. After attending the Purple Tuesday Summit we got stuck. More precisely. The environment let us down. A train station with lift out of order. No alternative instruction. Apparently this is not uncommon. In a scene of serendipity someone Mike knew happened to walk past. With wheelchair under one arm and holding my handles in the other. A first for me. The five steps were accomplished. A huge thank you to Marc Myers from me. A true disability #Ally and all round nice bloke. He was off to a Trustee meeting to support the next generation of disabled people. The best event I have ever attended. Not from me. I’ve only been to one. But a participant at the Summit. Mike asked me not to mention Sara Stacey as the source. But I don’t listen. Met many of my subtle assistive peers who were all working. From wheelchairs. Live captioning. A ramp. Quiet space. We are the support cast. There to enable. Increasingly blending into the everyday background. The unlocking accessibility landscape. We are not #ToyStory characters. But professionals. But if there is any budding scriptwriters out there. We would make a great film. Powerful narrative. Can even offer a provisional title: Access All Areas. You might have a better suggestion. For title. Or script. One more week. And then a period of rest. Know your purpose Friday. #Access #Accessibility #OutOfOrder #AssistiveAids #ReasonableAdjustments #PurpleTuesday #DisabilityConversation31 #BeASue Image Description: A photo of Mike’s briefcase sitting on the shelf just inside the open door of Mike’s burnt orange car.

Mojo. Dictionary definition. Focuses on a quality that attracts people to you and makes you successful and full of energy. A magic charm. Not sure that does it justice. It is more a feeling. Sensation. You know if it’s there. And you know when it’s gone. Not sure I ever knew how I acquired it. Can’t be bought off a supermarket shelf. And you don’t simply bin it. Two stories that bring mojo to life. Don’t worry. Like all American films this post has a happy end. The plots are about loss and coming back. Standing on stage. Me. And the audience. My favourite and probably most effective way of telling stories that bring accessibility and the challenges of having a disability to life. Passion. Humour. Alliteration and a fast paced rhythm. In halcyon days no notes required. But been through a period. Stuck to a well-polished script. Played safe and removed the early joke. The message still landed but inside I felt flat. Couldn’t feel that inner zip. Sense of going through the motions. In another context with five kids I get to see a lot of their activities and achievements live. Proud dad. Always. But had missed that skipping heartbeat. Being suspended in the moment. Worked out my mojo had disappeared. Not to be confused with #BoJo. A #Mojo real and authentic. Not sure why it went. No obvious moment. Or how I then got it back. But blinking pleased it has returned. There is so much that needs to be done. Advice. Believe. Keep plugging away. Doing what you do. And it will come back. Last week I did 14 minutes lived experience at a Purple Tuesday event without a script. My three year old son walked the gymnastics beam supportless. Three heartbeats skipped. Welcome back mojo. I have missed you. Reunited Tuesday. #Mojo #Spark #Emotion #CreatingChange #Accessibility #DisabilityMatters #PurpleTuesday #DisabilityConversation31 #BeASue Image Description: A photo of Mike sitting on the floor in his house in front of a white wooden door, looking skywards in search of or perhaps in gratitude of his mojo returning.

Frank. Honest. Mutually respectful. Positively orientated. Practical solutions focused. Nine word summary of the first Purple Tuesday Disabled Customer Summit earlier this week. The day brought together three not mutually exclusive communities. Disabled People shared their lived experience with a focus on how their individual learning could be applied to the wider disabled population with a range of impairments. Powerful. Positive. No pity but change required. Thank you Mark Webb. Elaine Hughes. Lee Keogh fCMgr. Ayuna Berbidaeva. sebastian fontenelle. Two examples to illuminate. Ayuna responded to an advert asking for dancers. She happens to be a wheelchair user. It took the global televised event to another level or three. All said information. Quality and accurate information on accessibility was a fundamental part of planning to travel. So often it doesn’t exist and not accurate. Defy anyone to say they would go to any destination. However desirable. If there were no assurances about how you would get there and back. The stories from #Allies were insightful and resonated. From those with indirect lived experience through family and friends accessibility defines their overall experience. And we heard from Surasen Naidu, Kimberley Neville and Lucy Adler from Standard Chartered, Allwyn UK and SHL. All three organisations committed to disability inclusion in all parts of their respective organisations. Key learning. Commit to actions that will engage all parts of your internal stakeholders. Localise. And be explicit about it being an organisational priority from the very top down. The only way of achieving sustainable accessibility. Disabled staff are one crucial element of those internal stakeholders. Left the venue reinvigorated. Fifteen minutes later with the train station lift out of order a level of deflation crept back. On getting back to home city colleagues supported me into taxi and folded wheelchair into boot. On reaching home the driver. Without turning his head. Thrust the card machine in a place I couldn’t reach with the card in my mouth. He was frustrated and annoyed. And having to get the wheelchair out of his boot only worsened his mood. Stark reminder the disabled customer journey still has a long way to travel. If you were there any further words to add to the nine. Reality of life Friday. #Access #Accessibilty #ThinkAccessibility #Communities #PurpleTuesday #DisabilityConversation31 #BeASue Image Description: A photo of Mike standing on stage at the recent Purple Tuesday Disabled Customer Summit giving his opening remarks. He is wearing a blue checked shirt and black trousers. Behind and to the side of him are TV screens and banners with the Purple Tuesday branding on. To the front of the stage is a ramp.