Some companies are taking up the Purple Tuesday initiative to make their company values align with the disabled community. This blog will outline how you can get involved and what Tenura is doing to ensure we provide inclusive customer service.

So, What’s Purple Tuesday All About

Fourteen million people in the UK live with a disability, equating to roughly 22% of the population. With that many people classified as having some form of disability, you’d think we would have better infrastructure as a nation to cope with the challenges the disabled community face.

 

We are excited to be taking part this year and joining in with over 5,000 organizations, pledging towards the Purple Tuesday campaign. Each organization reflects inward to evaluate their customer service to make it a better experience for the disabled.

How Technology and Companies can Help

As technology and our understanding of disabilities continues to grow, the future for inclusivity is bright, which is precisely what Purple Tuesday is all about.

The technology push towards a more accessible customer experience is essential. It can start with ideas such as website accessibility, voice recognition devices, and providing different channels disabled customers can access your services. Companies coming up with technology advancements in the name of disability inclusion are fantastic, as all these changes can vastly improve a disabled person’s experience with your company.

Companies can make changes offline too, which includes; training staff helping them to communicate with disabled people, installing wheelchair ramps, and creating clear signage.

If you are a company that wants to join in on the Purple Tuesday campaign, you can via their website, you need to register, then pledge a commitment that will benefit disabled people using your company. Put your ideas into action and deliver on your goals, so you can celebrate your achievements when it comes to 2nd November.

How You Can Help

Those of you speaking out on social media, informing others about businesses stepping in the right direction, and making those positive-discrimination steps is impactful. Helping companies recognize ways they can improve accessibility helps create the market pull, pulling companies in line with the values of the disabled community and beyond.

You can use the following hashtags to join in on the conversation:

• #PT2021
• #Purple­Tu­es­da­y2021
• #Disabi­lity­In­clu­sion
• #Acces­sibi­lity­ForAll

Tenura’s Pledge to Purple Tuesday

We aim to provide a better user experience for disabled people using the Tenura website. We want to be inclusive, and with products aimed at those who are disabled, it seems like a step in the right direction.

One step we have taken to reach our goal of a more inclusive website is a website audit. The website audit picks up areas where we can make our website accessible. We will be implementing these ideas in the coming years, as we have big plans, ranging from image naming formulas that aid those using screen readers to releasing a guide on website accessibility in the form of a blog. We started our strategy last year and have been making small manageable steps towards our goal ever since. As I am sure you appreciate, these adaptations take both time and money.

To further help us towards our website accessibility goal, please send an email informing us of any website accessibility techniques you feel we could implement.

We want to show our appreciation to the community pledging towards a better future by offering you a 10% discount on all Tenura products via our website. Use the discount code PURPLETUES10 at checkout to redeem. 

This promotion is running from 26/10/21 to 16/11/21.

This blog post will explore the mental and physical advantages that owning a pet can have on someone with a disability such as arthritis.

Having a disability can affect your everyday life, harming your heart rate, communication and causing depression. However, a furry companion like a cat or dog can help to reverse the negative impact.

Owning a pet positively influences two main aspects of life: mood and health, which means pets affect the body by decreasing rates of depression, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. Let's explore these benefits in more detail…

Pets and Their Effect on Blood Pressure and Arthritis

With arthritis, inflammation can occur in joints, constricting arteries and reducing the rate blood flows through the body to supply muscles with oxygen. The restricted flow leads to increased blood pressure, which is troubling for arthritis patients as they are at a 50% higher risk of heart attacks.

So, it's essential to reduce blood pressure, and pets can help. Pets have therapeutic calming auras. When a pet is in your lap, you talk, stroke, and nestle into its warmth, forgetting your worries, which decreases your heart rate. When you are tired or nervous, it's nice to have a companion.

Pets can make a person feel safe in their home or when out and about; animals can be a security blanket, guard the person or their belongings, and be a protective barrier or conversation starter. Feeling safe and secure can also lower levels of anxiety and stress that heighten blood pressure.

 

Pets and Their Effect on Cholesterol Levels and Arthritis

Those with rheumatoid arthritis are at high risk of heart disease, 50% to 70% higher, and cholesterol is a contributing factor. Having elevated cholesterol levels in the body increases pain within joints and other tendon complications.

You may have high cholesterol levels due to long periods of stress, a lack of exercise, or a poor diet containing too many saturated fats. Studies have shown that pets decrease the triglycerides present in the body. Triglycerides are the three fatty acids that contribute to high cholesterol levels.

Reducing cholesterol in the body can help keep heart disease at bay. To lower cholesterol levels, you should exercise daily for at least 30 minutes, and having a pet is an excellent excuse to go for a walk and is undoubtedly a great benefit. Having a pet with you can reduce the stress or anxiety you may feel when out walking.

 

Pets and Their Effect on Cognitive Behaviour/­Depression

It's estimated that up to 41% of disabled adults have depression, which is staggeringly high, and there is no one cure to suit all. Many factors cause depression in a person's life, and it can be a struggle to help change a person's mindset.

The companionship of a pet, a being they need to care for, can give a disabled person the necessary motivation and responsibility for a positive change. Caring for others can come more naturally than caring for yourself when struggling with depression, so an animal's natural temperament to play and exercise can have promising long-lasting effects on their mental state. 

 

Pets Effect on the Elderly

Pet owners over 65 visit their doctor 30% fewer times than non-pet owners. There's no clear-cut reason, but the benefits of reduced stress, increased exercise, and companionship all help play their role.

 

Some Tenura Products that Make Pet Ownership Easier for the Disabled:

Tenura products can help those with weak grip strength or conditions like arthritis care for their pets.

 

Tenura Extreme Grip Mats

When it comes to feeding your pet, they tend to be pretty eager, diving headfirst into their food bowl, knocking it around the floor, with no worry about the mess they create. You can prevent this previously inevitable mess by placing the pet's food bowl onto a Tenura Extreme mat. Tenura Extreme mats stop the food bowl from sliding across the floor or getting tipped over.

Nothing is sacred when you have a pet, they wonder where they please, and cats especially seem to find themselves upon the cabinets displaying your favorite ornaments. Instead of watching their next steps with fright, place your vases and such on a Tenura Extreme mat. The objects stick to Tenura mats, so the next time your cat is up there, you won't need to worry nor tidy up anything broken. 

Tenura Grip Roll

You can line underneath pet products such as litter trays, scratching posts, and other large products that unwantedly move. Just cut Tenura silicone grip roll to size and place it between the floor and pet accessory.

Tenura Grip Strips

During walks, you may find the lead tricky to keep a hold of, and it's uncomfortable. You can instantly improve these issues by twisting Tenura grip strips around the lead's handle. Grip strips add a layer of cushioning silicone comfort with grip-enhancing properties that stops the lead from sliding out of your hand.

Similarly, you may wrap Tenura grip strips around the brush handle when grooming your pet, which aids your grip, giving you more control. Brush handles can be thin and difficult to grasp, so build up a few layers of Tenura grip strips to increase the handle's width, which is a helpful idea for those with arthritis or other conditions that limit hand mobility or strength of grip.

 

Extensive research into the animal should be completed before being housed, as not all animals/breeds will be appropriate. It's very much dependent on the person's specific disability needs.

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