Suffolk enterprise launches exclusive toilet key to support thousands living with disabilities
The new five-lever mortice RADAR lock key is available to all card holders.
A Suffolk social enterprise supporting 100,000 disabled people and carers has launched an exclusive RADAR key providing access to more than 10,000 locked disabled toilets nationwide.
The National Disability and Carers Card Scheme, which launched in Woodbridge in 2019, was founded by carers who understand the daily challenges of living with a disability.
The National Disability Card and National Carers Card provide a trusted visual identification tool for disabled people in the UK as well as their carers and are accepted at more than 500 venues including leisure facilities, attractions and cinemas.
The new five-lever mortice RADAR lock key is available to all card holders.
Director of the scheme Edward Herbert said: “Access to disabled facilities is a fundamental right, not a privilege. Our new RADAR Key has been meticulously designed to ensure quality, security, and ease of use for those who need it most.
“By making these keys available exclusively to verified National Disability and Carers Card holders, we are safeguarding accessible toilets for genuine users and enhancing public confidence in the scheme.
“The National Disability and Carers Card Scheme remains committed to breaking down barriers and improving everyday experiences for disabled people and their carers across the UK."
Among National Disability Card holders is 32-year-old Felicity Jackson from Manchester.
She said one of the main benefits to having the card was not having to explain herself or justify her disability when in public.
She said: "Before I had the National Disability Card, I would face quite a lot of prejudice based on the comment ‘you don't look sick.’
“Unfortunately people seem to have a stereotype of what someone with a disability 'should' look like, and I think a lot of people with hidden disabilities face that same stigma.
“When you are struggling and people don't know it, it's not always easy to ask for help and explain why you need help in that instance. With the card you don't need to say anything, it says everything for you.”
You can apply for a National Disability Card or National Carers Card online by providing proof of eligibility. The card gives you access to a range of concessions and discounts as well as lanyards and the exclusive RADAR key.
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