This week we celebrated with a shopping trip to . We teamed up with our local store to make shopping more accessible for our students as part of a global campaign to improve customer service for disabled people.
The idea started with a meeting between our Student Council and Shropshire who is also Co-op Area Manager. We talked about the challenges some of our students face when shopping, especially those with communication difficulties. That conversation sparked a brilliant partnership and a project that鈥檚 already making a real difference.
With help from our Independent Living Skills team and Speech & Language therapists, students got stuck in to find ways to shop more independently, including the use of 鈥楽hopping GRID鈥� for iPads. The app features shopping lists, handy communication phrases and money tools, giving students the confidence to do their shopping with minimal support.
Felix was one of the first to try out the GRID Player at Co-op. Watching Felix manage his own shopping list, keep track of spending, and ask for help when needed (all with just a little staff support) was fantastic. It鈥檚 not just about groceries 鈥� it鈥檚 about building life skills and independence, and seeing our students become more involved in the local community.
Purple Tuesday has also sparked some great conversations across mv天美mv天美. Tutorials focused on the right to accessibility, and at Ludlow campus, students explored the campaign and shared their thoughts, led by their student rep Tiffany. It鈥檚 been a real team effort, and we鈥檙e proud of how everyone鈥檚 got involved.
Cllr Craig Emery said: 鈥淒iversity and inclusivity is at the heart of Co-op, and our Gobowen store is delighted to work closely with mv天美mv天美. Supporting the College鈥檚 work with its students with special education needs provides opportunities for the students to develop the life-skills needed to carry out everyday tasks independently in the community, including popping to their local Co-op to pick up their groceries.鈥�
