Tesco introduces new signs on disabled toilets to recognise ‘invisible’ illnesses
The new signs include a man, woman and a person in a wheelchair
DISABLED toilet signs are set to change to include "invisible" illnesses in Tesco supermarkets across the country.
The change will see symbols for a man and a woman added to the door of disabled toilets in 700 stores in an attempt to tackle the stigma of people without a visible disability using the facilities.
So far, about 20 stores have made the change with the supermarket giant the second to take action, behind Morrisons.
Dan McLean of Crohn's & Colitis UK foundation said: "This announcement is a great step by Tesco towards reducing stigma and raising awareness that not every disability is visible and everyone is grateful to them for making this change.
"People living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease can be very disadvantaged by the impact of their condition."
He added: "They may not look unwell but are often profoundly affected by debilitating and unseen symptoms that affect all aspects of their lives.
"The experience or fear of unpredictable incontinence is very undermining to a person’s confidence and self-esteem and can lead in some cases to the person affected becoming too anxious to leave their home."
The foundation has been running a campaign to have stores change the toilet signs, with 19,000 emails sent to the top supermarkets in five months.
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A Tesco spokesman told The Sun Online: "It's a small change but for some people, it takes the stigma away from someone using the facilities who may not have an obvious disability."
The supermarket made the announcement through a blog post written by one of its employees, Catia Fernandes.
The compliance manager worker said she was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease just as she was about to take her GCSEs, saying: "The sudden need to go to the toilet is a recognised symptom of Crohn’s.
"It meant that everyday things I took for granted, such as exercising and eating, became a lot more challenging. I’ve had to adapt to be able to manage my condition but this doesn’t mean I can’t lead a normal life."
Having worked with Tesco since 2002, she said she was grateful for the support of her employer.
She wrote: "It will help people understand that you can’t always see someone’s disability, whatever it may be.
"For many people like me this is a little help that will make a big difference."
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