A woman has praised a wedding shop for making disabled people feel less invisible by displaying one of its dresses on a mannequin in a wheelchair.
Beth Wilson, 36, has been using a wheelchair for five years and was delighted to see the display in The White Collection Bridal Boutique, in Portishead, Somerset.
“The new wedding shop in town has a wheelchair-using mannequin and it shouldn’t be exciting but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen disability portrayed in a shop window,” she wrote in a tweet, which has been liked more than 3,400 times.
Speaking to HuffPost UK, Wilson said: “It was so surprising to see and made me feel represented. So often disabled people feel invisible because we don’t see ourselves in the media much and especially not modelling beautiful clothes.”
Wilson added that mobility aids are often portrayed as negative things that people want to hide, so she was particularly happy to see the chair celebrated and decorated.
While she isn’t shopping for a dress, Wilson said displays like this would make her feel more welcome in shops in the future.
After Wilson shared the photo online, others on Twitter also praised the display.
“This is fab,” one person wrote. “If only more bridal shops showed this level of inclusivity.” Another added: “I wish this had been around when I was planning my wedding.”
Wilson believes the reaction to her tweet is yet more proof retailers should try harder to represent disabled people – “20% of the population is disabled in some way,” she said. “It’s about time we see that reflected in media, advertising, everything.”