This month I supported my Scottish Labour colleague Martin Whitfield’s campaign to change the symbol used for accessible toilets across the UK.

This newly launched symbol has been designed to be easily recognisable and represents a range of both visible and invisible disabilities. It has been designed by Lucy Richards, in partnership with the Scottish charity the Life Changes Trust.

One of the catalysts for the creation of this sign was the horrendous abuse Martin’s young constituent received whilst queuing for a disabled toilet. Grace Warnock, who has Crohn’s disease was abused because her condition like many others is not visible.

This is sadly a common occurrence:

• Chron’s & Colitis UK have recently discovered that more than 9 out 10 people would challenge someone they perceived to have no clearly defined disability for using an accessible toilet.
• Fish Insurance found that 39 per cent of people said someone who displayed a valid Blue Badge but did not appear to have difficulty walking should not be entitled to park in a disabled parking bay.
• They also noted that a further 18 per cent thought even blue-badge holders who displayed some difficulty walking, such as those with a limp or prosthetic limb, should not be allowed to use disabled parking facilities.