PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Disabled shoppers confront holiday shopping barriers

2013-12-20
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Mike Sepanic
msepanic@camden.rutgers.edu
856-225-6026
Rutgers University
Disabled shoppers confront holiday shopping barriers Before chestnuts roast on the fire and sugarplums dance in the dreams of youngsters, the holiday season elicits visions of crowded parking lots and malls overrun by shoppers while retailers try to keep up with the demand.

The conditions aren't ideal for anyone seeking the perfect gift, but a Rutgers–Camden marketing scholar says they are especially hard for an often overlooked population of consumers: those with disabilities.

"There's music and moving lights and large crowds and it's just difficult to maneuver anywhere," says Carol Kaufman-Scarborough, a professor of marketing at the Rutgers School of Business–Camden. "So, the question becomes, are shoppers with disabilities being excluded because of the retail environment?"

Kaufman-Scarborough, who has been researching consumers with disabilities since 1995, says early consumer research failed to consider customers with mobility problems — such as those forced to navigate busy stores in a wheelchair — as well as people with hearing or sight impairments, and people with cognitive disabilities.

"We have this idealized viewpoint of consumer reality," she says. "But why should consumer research include only people who are not limited by disabilities? The result is excluding a large percentage of the consumer population. It was believed that these are people who don't get out and shop, or that there are too few customers with disabilities to make a difference. It's now swung the other way."

Kaufman-Scarborough recently presented her research on consumers with disabilities during the Vulnerable Consumers Seminar Series held at the University of Strathclyde in Glaskow, Scotland, in November.

The seminar was the fourth in a series of six sponsored by the United Kingdom's Economic and Social Research Council. It aims to promote dialogue and interchange between worldwide researchers, practitioners, and policy makers on the issue of consumer vulnerability and to create a forum to foster methodological good practice and encourage collaborative research projects.

Kaufman-Scarborough summarized almost 20 years of her own research on disabled consumers during a presentation titled "Social Exclusion: A Perspective on Consumers with Disabilities."

"Many of the problems these shoppers face are unintended," she says. "Store design choices can seem like good practice, but in reality, there are problems with aisle width and display height. Overcrowding reduces access, comfort, and mobility."

Online retail has become more popular and it encourages consumers to escape the crowded stores by shopping from home. However, it isn't without hurdles, either. Kaufman-Scarborough says computer screens can be difficult to read for the vision impaired, who also have difficulty typing in information for a CAPTCHA, the test websites use to distinguish between human and automated users.

She says that the Americans with Disabilities Act has been successful in curbing many of these problems and stores are being designed with accessibility for disabled customers, while websites with CAPTCHAs allow users to hear the letters required to type for site access.

"In today's world, you see more deliberate design of retail space," she says. "The ramps are there, the doors are wider and aren't as heavy, and Braille is included on signs. This has become the norm. We're working toward finding more solutions to help vulnerable, disabled consumers, and I think there's more that can be done in the way of employee assistance or store hours for customers with disabilities."

Kaufman-Scarborough's research will be published in a forthcoming book based on the work presented at the Vulnerable Consumers Seminar Series. A Cherry Hill resident, the Rutgers–Camden scholar has published various research articles on vulnerable consumers, consumer homelessness, disability studies, macromarketing, public policy, and consumer time perception and use.

Kaufman-Scarborough earned her bachelor's degree from Duquesne University, her master's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and her doctoral degree from Temple University.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Bullying in academia more prevalent than thought, says Rutgers-Camden scholar

2013-12-20
Bullying in academia more prevalent than thought, says Rutgers-Camden scholar CAMDEN — Bullying isn't only a problem that occurs in schools or online among young people. It can happen anywhere to anyone, and a Rutgers–Camden nursing scholar is shedding some ...

CCNY chemists use sugar-based gelators to solidify vegetable oils

2013-12-20
CCNY chemists use sugar-based gelators to solidify vegetable oils Mannitol and sorbitol dioctanoates could provide alternatives to trans fats linked to obesity, coronary artery disease and diabetes Researchers at The City College of New York have reported the ...

Oh, the places you'll go -- if you're an Atlantic slipper shell

2013-12-20
Oh, the places you'll go -- if you're an Atlantic slipper shell New research reveals the biomechanics of how marine snails swim Walk the beach or peer into a tidepool anywhere along the northeastern U.S. coast, and you'll find shells stacked on top of one another. ...

Saving fertility not priority at most cancer centers

2013-12-20
Saving fertility not priority at most cancer centers Lack of policies to protect cancer patients' fertility at top cancer centers CHICAGO --- Infertility is consistently listed as one of the most distressing long-term side effects of cancer treatment for adolescents ...

Ancient cranial surgery

2013-12-20
Ancient cranial surgery UCSB bioarchaeologist studies trepanation -- a practice of drilling holes in the cranium that dates back thousands of years Cranial surgery is tricky business, even under 21st-century conditions (think aseptic environment, ...

Dual catalysts help synthesize alpha-olefins into new organic compounds

2013-12-20
Dual catalysts help synthesize alpha-olefins into new organic compounds Boston College researchers combine two catalytic reactions to produce highly reactive compounds CHESTNUT HILL, MA (Dec. 19, 2013) – Boston College chemists have developed a new chemical synthesis methodology ...

A micro-muscular breakthrough

2013-12-20
A micro-muscular breakthrough Berkeley Lab researchers make a powerful new microscale torsional muscle/motor from vanadium dioxide Vanadium dioxide is poised to join the pantheon of superstars in the materials world. Already prized for its extraordinary ...

Inside the Bloomberg public health toolbox

2013-12-20
Inside the Bloomberg public health toolbox Health policy insiders reveal details of the data-driven process behind the city's public health successes; approach can be a model for other cities nationwide December 19, 2013 —As Mayor ...

Women's perceptions of 'normal' female genitalia may be influenced by exposure to modified images

2013-12-20
Women's perceptions of 'normal' female genitalia may be influenced by exposure to modified images Women's perceptions of what is considered normal and desirable female genitalia may be influenced by exposure to modified images, suggests a new study published today (20 December) ...

First plant-based 'microswimmers' could propel drugs to the right location

2013-12-19
First plant-based 'microswimmers' could propel drugs to the right location In the quest to shrink motors so they can maneuver in tiny spaces like inside and between human cells, scientists have taken inspiration from millions of years of plant evolution and ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Multi-resistance in bacteria predicted by AI model

Tinker Tots: A citizen science project to explore ethical dilemmas in embryo selection

Sensing sickness

Cost to build multifamily housing in California more than twice as high as in Texas

Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses

Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation

ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy

How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease

A borrowed bacterial gene allowed some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet

Balance between two competing nerve proteins deters symptoms of autism in mice

Use of antifungals in agriculture may increase resistance in an infectious yeast

Awareness grows of cancer risk from alcohol consumption, survey finds

[Press-News.org] Disabled shoppers confront holiday shopping barriers