Saying ‘blind drunk' is offensive to disabled people, says retailer

Telegraph

28-03-2025

Using the phrase 'blind drunk' is offensive to disabled people, B&Q staff have been told.
The DIY chain has issued an inclusive language guide which warns against using any phrase that associates 'impairments with negative things'.
Staff are told examples of phrases to avoid include 'blind drunk' and 'deaf to our pleas'.
The guidance is the latest example of diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies issued by businesses in an attempt to be more inclusive.
The guide urges workers to 'understand that offensive language often includes words and phrases that reinforce stereotypes, reinforce derogatory labels, exclude certain groups of people, patronise or trivialise certain groups of people'.
The guide adds: 'Common phrases that may associate impairments with negative things should be avoided, for example 'deaf to our pleas' or 'blind drunk'.'
Elsewhere, the guide uses the phrase 'sex assigned at birth', suggesting that biological sex is not innate and is instead 'assigned' based on how a person's anatomy is perceived when they are born.
It also shows that B&Q has produced a 'coming out at B&Q' guide for LGBT staff adorned with the controversial trans-inclusive Progress Pride flag, an amended version of the rainbow pride flag that includes extra colours and symbols to represent black and transgender people.
Under 'further race and ethnicity community resources', the company points towards resources for 'Ramadan and Eid' and 'Diwali' – but nothing about Easter or Christmas.
'Need to get a grip'
Alka Sehgal-Cuthbert, director of the campaign group Don't Divide Us, said the guide was 'nonsensical'.
She said: 'B&Q management need to get a grip.
'It's a DIY store where knowledgeable, polite customer service, a general rule to treat colleagues respectfully and some basic, clear outlines of sanctions/grievance procedures would be better than this effort to drum up a utopian workforce.
'Creating a 'nurturing environment' where 'all can grow' is really best left to parents and gardeners.
'And on the community resources for race and ethnicity, why is Christianity absent when it is the longest-standing cultural and ethical resource for the biggest community of all – the British people?
'It can be shared or at least accepted, culturally if not religiously, by everyone. That makes it a lot more inclusive than this nonsensical guidance.'
Meritocracy as microaggression
Last week, The Telegraph reported on another inclusive language guide issued by The British Antarctic Survey (BAS), which oversees Britain's research stations in Antarctica. The guide claimed that believing in meritocracy could be a 'racist' microaggression.
Other examples include guidance issued by The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, which has previously told NHS staff not to call fat people 'obese'.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, meanwhile, has warned doctors that telling a disabled person they are 'inspiring' is a 'microaggression'.
VisitBritain, the tourism group, described the word 'able-bodied' as a 'harmful' language.
It told tour guides to use the phrase 'non-disabled' instead when talking about people who do not have disabilities.
A spokesman for B&Q said: 'B&Q has been a proud part of Britain's communities for over 55 years. Our 21,000-strong workforce helps more than 20 million people improve their homes across our 300 stores, and we're committed to ensuring everyone feels welcome.'