It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go, and the thought of venturing out to do your Christmas shopping can feel rather overwhelming when you have a disability. However, thanks to the help of AccessAble’s Detailed Access Guides, it can take away a lot of the stress that comes with heading out shopping, and you might even be able to find new places to shop that you’d never thought about before.

Our AccessAble Ambassador, Emma Purcell, shares tips on how to prepare for a Christmas shopping trip and how the Detailed Access Guides can remove any anxiety and instead help you to enjoy the festive spirit.

Understandably, heading out to do Christmas shopping can be a rather challenging and daunting prospect for disabled people. Many of you would probably just prefer to do all your shopping online, but I believe there is more to enjoy when heading out to the shops. You may come across gift ideas you didn’t think of before, discover a new store and also get to enjoy things like festive lights and scenery, Christmas music, and treat yourself to festive food or beverages in restaurants and cafes, all while spending time with loved ones and friends.

Tips on how to prepare for an accessible Christmas shopping trip

1. I would suggest, for a starting point, making a list of all the people you need to buy presents for, and if you already have gift ideas for those people, you can then write down the type of shops you’d like to visit to purchase those presents.
2. Next, you need to decide on the kind of places you would like to go to do your shopping. This may be a large shopping centre, department store or local high street.
3. This is where the AccessAble Detailed Access Guides come in. Head to the AccessAble website and go to the search bar. In the “I’m looking for…” search bar, type the word “shop” or “shopping centre”. Several options will appear with a variety of different shop types and retailers, such as clothes shops, pet shops, shoe shops, etc. You can select a particular type of shop or just continue to search for shops in general.
4. You then need to search your location by typing in either the name of the town, city, county or the postcode area. Once you press search, you can filter the distance of the location. For instance, I may only be looking for shops within a 10-mile radius of Portsmouth. 
5. You can now scroll through the search results to see what shops are available in your area that include Detailed Access Guides. Once you have found a shop or shopping centre that interests you, you can view the guide in detail and check the accessible facilities within that venue.
6. If you require certain accessibility needs, such as level access, accessible toilets, assistive listening or quiet rooms, you can filter accessibility symbols you need to plan your visit.
7. If you know the name of a venue you’d like to visit, and still want to check the accessible facilities, you can simply search the venue itself to see if it has a Detailed Access Guide available.

You can also use these guides to find out information, including access to car parks, the number of blue badge spaces, access to public transport nearby, Changing Places toilets, dementia friendly services, staff disability awareness training, and so much more.

The information in these guides are all 100% facts, figures and photographs and are collected by trained surveyors who visit every venue in person to gather all the accessibility details.

By easily viewing these Detailed Access Guides, you can quickly make an informed decision as to whether this venue is suitable for you to access and allows you to enjoy your Christmas shopping experience without the worry of knowing if you can access everything it has to offer.

As well as browsing the shops, you may also want to make the most of your trip and indulge yourself in a luxurious meal in a restaurant or a sweet treat in a café or even chill out and enjoy a festive film at the cinema. You can simply search for accessibility information on these kinds of venues as well.

8 suggested shopping venues across the UK

If you’re looking for some inspiration as to where you should go to look for that perfect gift this Christmas, check out these suggested shopping venues across the UK that have Detailed Access Guides:

1. Westfield - London
2. Gunwharf Quays – Portsmouth
3. Bluewater – Kent
4. Bullring – Birmingham
5. Metrocentre - Gateshead
6. St James Quarter – Edinburgh
7. St David’s - Cardiff
8. CastleCourt - Belfast              

AccessAble has also partnered with several individual retailers, including Next, Marks and Spencer, Primark, Tesco and Asda, providing Detailed Access Guides for all stores nationwide.   

Make your Christmas shopping experience stress-free

As you prepare for the festive season, remember that Christmas shopping doesn’t have to be stressful. AccessAble’s Detailed Access Guides give you the confidence to plan, discover new places and enjoy everything the season has to offer.

With clear, reliable information on accessibility features across thousands of shops, centres, cafés and restaurants, you can make informed choices and focus on the fun parts - finding thoughtful gifts, enjoying festive treats and spending time with loved ones.

Check out Emma’s vlogs at Gunwharf Quays and Basingstoke Festival Place shopping centre.