74% of disabled respondents feel less valued due to inaccessibility.
This is just one of the powerful findings from RiDC’s new Re-Imagining Retail project which was published in October 2025.
The purpose of this important project was to raise awareness of the barriers faced by disabled people when accessing or in retail spaces and to support the retail industry in implementing solutions to improve the accessibility of their services.
The outputs of the project include:
Accessibility Guidelines
The new accessibility guidelines aim to raise awareness of the common barriers disabled people face when shopping in physical retail stores. They include practical, evidence-based recommendations to help the retail industry and other relevant stakeholders create more accessible and welcoming retail environments.
Videos from panel members
As part of the project, some of project’s panel members filmed their shopping trips to showcase the real-life barriers they encounter.
Technical Report
The full Technical Report details RiDC’s approach, methodology, and findings from all research activities that informed this project.
Summary Reports
For those looking for a concise overview, the Summary Reports highlight the key insights from the project, including:
- Understanding the barriers to shopping in retail stores
- Workarounds disabled people use to navigate these barriers
- The impact of accessibility barriers on disabled people
- Solutions to improve accessibility and their effectiveness
- How to communicate accessibility features effectively with disabled people
Together, these resources offer the opportunity to start driving real positive change across an industry that still places so many barriers in the way of disabled people.
Explore all the findings: Re-Imagining Retail Project
Photo courtesy of RiDC