‘Grace’s Sign’ provides a lesson for us all – leader comment

Grace Warnock’s invisible disability signs should teach us all a lesson about the dangers of jumping to conclusions.

Schoolgirl Grace Warnock's sign has been backed by the Royal College of Physicians

What do you do if someone with no apparent disabilities goes into the disabled toilets? Do you assume they are using facilities they are not entitled to and berate them when they come out?

If so, you may be making a mistake and putting someone with a hidden disability in an awkward position. Do they really have to explain?

Twelve-year-old Grace Warnock, who has had Crohn’s disease since she was ten, has come up with an elegant solution to remind everyone that not all disabilities are obvious.

‘Grace’s Sign’, which shows the traditional symbol for someone in a wheelchair alongside male and female figures with red hearts, has now been backed by the Royal College of Physicians and it plans to use the signs at its refurbished conference centre.

Grace told how it was “so important for those with invisible illnesses to be able to use the toilet facilities without fear of being judged”.

Her sign will hopefully help people not to assume wrong-doing about those using disabled toilets and perhaps it will also be a reminder about the dangers of jumping to conclusions in a broader sense.