Similar to the fat suit or the pregnant suit that seems to show up on daytime talk shows every now and again to make us feel bad about how we treat people that are different from us, Nissan is using an "old" suit to help young designers empathize with the mobility impaired. The suit adds 15 pounds of weight, decreases vision, limits joint mobility, and causes the wearer to stoop and slouch. The young engineers are able to test their idealistic blueprint designs against the real world capabilities of many of their potential customers. 40% of Japan's population will be retirement age in the very near future. The suit has also been used to test bathroom accessibility.



The DME and Rehab industries tend to be better than many when it comes to empathizing with those of our customers with mobility impairments. But I have worked at one company that did not have accessible bathrooms. Another location had bathrooms that were accessible, but violated HIPPA regulations if a customer used them. Another location had plenty of handicapped parking in the parking lot at the front of the building. The handicapped doorway was located in the rear of the building. I have seen customer service desks that are so tall, wheelchair users can not interact with the employee on the other side.

It seems like a no-brainer, but I am surprised by the number of times I see members of our industry making it hard on themselves to do business with the very demographic they are targeting.

Look at your location and how you do business from the perspective of your customers. If you have to build your own "old" suit or sit in a wheelchair, than do that as well. Speak with your customers and ask them their opinion of your store layout from the parking lot to the bathroom and the space between shelf fixtures. You may be surprised by the suggestions.