“Disability awareness doesn't stop at wheelchair ramps.”

Amazon provides an invaluable service to many disabled folks. But I feel they appreciate our money more than our experiences.

I'm a below-knee amputee, and I occasionally buy a sock from Amazon to use with my prosthetic leg. This is important for my comfort and convenience. The sock has no other purpose than this.

The last time I made this purchase, I received an email recommending more products to me. I would usually ignore these, but the subject of this email was "Leg Amputee Humour - Funny Amputee T-Shirt”.

That caught my attention.

I opened the email and saw a T-shirt with the slogan “This leg is taking longer than expected to grow back” printed on it. The item was labelled “Amputee humour”. My purchase was labelled as “Amputee”.

“How many people have been affected by this?”

My initial emotion was disappointment. I honestly thought disability awareness had moved away from anything this crass. Humour is a great coping mechanism, but it must come from a place of authenticity. I’m an amputee, and I’m allowed to joke about it if I wish to. It just doesn’t feel right for non-amputees to do the same.

My disappointment was quickly followed by anger. Amazon actively sells itself on its customer-focused service. Yet, they were echoing that familiar lack of disability awareness and sensitivity.

I also had questions. How many other medical conditions does Amazon label as humorous? Do they label racially or religiously offensive items in such a way, too? How many other people have been affected by this?

“I got standard answers; but this wasn’t a standard issue.”

I immediately contacted Amazon about the effects of their algorithm. I highlighted the potential distress this could cause.

In response, I received cut-and-paste replies. Customer Service failed to grasp my concern. It wasn’t about one item; it was about the way the algorithm was working. I got standard answers; but this wasn’t a standard issue.

Amazon has dealt with this issue without empathy or understanding. The “non-apology” apologies were cold and insensitive, with no real substance. This approach does little service to them.

When disability issues earn the same response as a lost or faulty item, something’s wrong. There’s a lack of awareness around disability.

But disability awareness makes good business sense; it’s an investment in disabled clients. It lets these customers know they’re seen, heard, and valued by the company.

Disability awareness doesn't stop at installing a wheelchair ramp and patting yourself on the back. It’s a commitment to learn more about our experiences, and how to approach them sensitively.

“It’s beholden on all of us to educate ourselves.”

In some circumstances, humour can be triggering.

I have pretty thick skin and will make jokes about my disability. But that’s different to jokes made at my expense, which are spiteful and hurtful.

I’ve been disabled for nearly 20 years following a sports injury. My amputation is just part of me, albeit a missing one…

It’s not the root of my disability. Society is. This, and my strong sense of right and wrong, is what drove me to challenge Amazon.

We’re all guilty of unconscious bias of some kind. It’s beholden on all of us to educate ourselves. That includes businesses, big and small.

Who knows how Amazon will deal with this issue? For now, I can say I’ve done my best to articulate the problem. Algorithms can’t learn to be more sensitive. But human employees can.

Amazon, take note!

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