CHELTENHAM BUSINESS BACKS STUDENT'S CAMPAIGN TO UPDATE BLUE BADGES

A Cheltenham business is backing a National Star student’s campaign to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

Sam Vestey, who attends the National Star College in Cheltenham, is campaigning to make the familiar disabled sign more inclusive for people with non-visible disabilities.

National Star provides specialist further education, training, personal development and residential services for people with physical and learning disabilities and acquired brain injuries.

The 20-year-old believes the wheelchair icon featured on blue badges and disabled parking bays is outdated.

Now print company Typecraft has supported Sam’s campaign by printing stickers featuring the new more inclusive logo.

“I really appreciate Matt and the team at Typecraft backing my campaign. It means a great deal to me,” said Sam. “We have already started to share them with other specialist colleges across the country and Typecraft’s support will help the campaign grow.”

The logo shows two able bodied people with a third person in a wheelchair and the wording, “Some disabilities are visible. Some are not. Take care of each other”.

"Only seven per cent of disabled people use a wheelchair. The existing blue badge logo isn’t relevant for the other 93 per cent of people with disabilities. It’s time for a change,” says Sam who has a chromosomal condition called DiGeorge Syndrome and survived a pineoblastoma brain tumour as a child.

Sam says he and his family have often been challenged when using disabled parking spaces and he doesn’t want others to have to go through similar experiences.

“Just because people can’t see my disability, they don’t understand how much pain I am in and how fatigued I get. That’s why I have a disabled badge.”

Matt Magovern, Sales and Production Director at Typecraft, said: “When approached by Sam from the National Star College who is clearly extremely passionate about his campaign, it really was a no brainer for Typecraft to offer our services to assist.

“We are always striving to move with the times as a business and this is something that Sam is also looking to do but within a far more important realm. We wish him the best of luck with his endeavours and are pleased to be involved and help out.”