Morrison installs Grace’s Signs at new £18.9m Wallyford Primary School
Morrison Construction has shown continued support for a teenager campaigning for more inclusive disabled access signage.
The contractor has installed Grace’s Signs at the new £18.9m Wallyford Primary School for East Lothian Council.
Grace Warnock, 13, from Prestonpans in East Lothian, designed the sign after she was criticised for using a disabled toilet for her Crohn’s Disease. The sign depicts two people with hearts with a wheelchair in the centre, to symbolise ‘invisible disabilities’ that may not always be obvious.
Grace toured the new Wallyford Primary School, moved into by pupils, teachers and staff earlier this year, to see her signs installed on toilet doors and in the car park.
Morrison Construction previously installed the signs at £32m West Calder High School, also delivered with development partner hub South East.
Grace’s Signs have been adopted in various locations across Scotland and abroad including Holyrood and Edinburgh International Airport.
Morrison Construction senior design manager, Allan Smith, said: “It is wonderful to see Grace’s Signs installed at another Morrison Construction education project, continuing our support for the campaign and promoting an inclusive school culture to benefit pupils who need to use accessible toilet facilities.
“We planned to use Grace’s Signs at Wallyford Primary School after installing the signs at West Calder High School and worked closely with Grace to extend these to car parking signage. East Lothian Council were more than happy to support the use Grace’s Signs for this project.”
After visiting Wallyford Primary School, Grace said: “I hope my sign will be used in as many schools as possible to teach children about invisible disabilities. It was great to take a tour of the new school and see my sign inside and outside in the car park. It is the first time my sign has been used in a car park so that was exciting to see.”
Roddy Clark, hub South East’s projects director, added: “We’re delighted that through the Wallyford Primary project we are again able to support Grace’s Campaign. Grace is an inspiring young person and we hope that through these signs she can inspire other young people to learn more about invisible disabilities.
“We’d like to congratulate Grace on her campaign and we look forward to seeing her signs in other facilities across the country in the future.”
Wallyford Primary School headteacher Mhairi Stratton said: “We’re delighted that Grace’s Sign is part of our school. It is very much in line with our school value ‘respect and care’ - respecting that different people need different things at different times and we care for them accordingly. Accessibility is at the heart of our new building and Grace’s Sign is another way we can make sure everyone in our community is welcomed and included here.”