AIBU to think I shouldn't have visited the Science Museum in a wheelchair?

The Science Museum gets stupid busy and we only ever go at opening time to enjoy it before rammed. It is simply unenjoyable later in the day even before any mobility issues.

The kids racing and lifts is super annoying but I think if you repeatedly clipped people who were walking in front of you then perhaps you weren’t leaving enough room. In a museum people will naturally be stopping to look at items and restarting so if this was a regular problem then in your position I would be thinking about how I could manage it.

No idea how to vote but obviously the only thing you did "wrong" was to time your visit so badly. As an able-bodied person, I'd have had trouble getting around the museum on such a busy day without conflict. I'm sorry you had such a shit time, but instead of feeling dejected about it I think you should mentally award yourself a trophy for having survived such horrendous conditions intact and without punching any of those fuckers on the nose!

I think your No 1 mistake was going on a BH. I would not go near any museum in London on a BH. I'm sorry you had a crap time but it's definitely circumstances ie BH. People are very entitled.and I'm shocked able body people chose the lift. Kds running into your chair, well there have always been shoddy parenting . Maybe revisit mid week in the winter.i suggest January when everyone is hibernating..good luck OP, sorry you had a horrible time, the science museum is fantastic

I would expect it to be like that on a bank holiday tbh and would avoid it as an able-bodied person. Busy places crowded with children are best avoided by anyone!

Well, both - obviously you're totally entitled to be where you like when you like, AND museums tend to be rammed on bank holidays and kids in large groups, maybe a bit hyped up by being on a fun day out, are frequently crap at watching where they're going, being aware of surroundings, not stopping dead in stupid places and so on, and that won't change. I think you just have to make your decisions about when to go places based on whether you think you'll be able to enjoy it, not on whether a few inconsiderate people might get their ankles knocked. That's how they learn.

I know it's not at all the same, but once I had a baby in a pram around London I was shocked by the lack of consideration at times by other people and it made me think how difficult it must be for wheelchair users like yourself. Things like people barging in front to get on trains and using lifts when not necessary. The number of stations without step free access. At least with a baby you can carry up the pram or fold it up worst comes to worst so I imagine days out must take considerable planning at times.

I think you should have every right to go wherever you want and people should be more more respectful and thoughtful.

I despise the whole of South Kensington and its many museums and steer well clear personally. But you absolutely shouldn't feel that you shouldn't have gone if that's what you wanted to do. You've as much right to be there as anyone else. The museums aren't just for children or able bodied people.

It’s not your fault, I think anywhere like that would just be hell on earth on a bank holiday! London generally I find really inaccessible when you have babies and toddlers, or even suitcases! Lifts seem to barely be working on the tubes and everywhere is so busy it’s claustrophobic. I visited once and never again until they’re a lot older…I’m a fully fledged country girl now 😅

I had a similar experience regarding the lifts the day I took my stepmother in a wheelchair to Tate Modern - it was a real eyeopener. I sympathise

Even the best behaved children are rather hard to control when they are swept up by the excitement of the science museum over bank holiday weekend. I was once tasked with taking two of my friends' kids who are usually absolute darlings and they turned into feral creatures as soon as we crossed the threshold. So it is definitely a case for picking a better time. My friend and I used to go mid week and it's almost deserted then.

this. You are of course entitled to visit any museum, whenever you want, but personally as an adult without small kids I would avoid major museums on BH/school holidays like the plague, wheelchair or not.

A lot of what you've said sounds like it could have happened to anyone - out of control kids could have easily careened into anyone, and actually caused more damage to other kids/adults who were wobbly on their feet for whatever reason. Similarly people stopping unexpectedly could result in someone else walking into them.

It might be worth feeding back some of your experience to the museum - they should prioritise accessibility, diversity, etc. Obviously there's not much they can do about people being inconsiderate but they could, for example, consider making their signs bigger or have the lift voice recording telling people to give priority (because some people just don't read!), or, if enough people complain about how busy it was, consider restricting ticket numbers further.

I am sorry you had such an awful experience, as others have said, it probably wasn’t the best day to visit, and maybe the V and A next door would have been a better choice, but I hope you do go back at a quieter time and have a better experience because it is amazing , the building alone is an engrossing and fascinating example of design and embellishment ( lifts notwithstanding!).

But nothing excuses the rudeness of the people you encountered and their behaviour was appalling.

I think it's a mixed bag op.

On one hand those kids sound like they weren't being properly watched and parents should have been more on top of things with them. Equally it sounds like you unfortunately met some of the world's unpleasant people.

However, I also think that if you're clipping people who are walking the same direction in front of you then you maybe need to allow a bit more stopping space than what you think you'll need. Obviously if they step out in front of you or step backwards that's totally different and that's on them to be more vigilant of their surroundings - there's nothing you can do about that. Equally running into people is going to hurt and they're going to have a knee jerk reaction to that given being human. Not saying you should be sworn AT but I think we all have our limits in that respect.

I'm not a wheelchair user but I do hate going places like that when I know it's going to be really busy as I hate feeling crowded and it gives me anxiety (and a little smidgeon of rage), I hate feeling like I can't go at the pace I want to go at and because of rude people and kids out of control like you've experienced. I know it's not remotely the same but I remember trying similar with a pram once a couple of years ago and it was just a horrendous experience and I actively avoided anything that busy again because I know the experience won't be as accessible by nature due to the amount of people as opposed to the planning.

So no I don't think yabu to want to attend on any day of the week you choose, I don't think yabu to expect adequate accessibility and for people to be more aware but I do think the issue really in that moment is the sheer level of footfall as well as the ignorance of the general public rather than anything the venue itself could have done differently. Our local museum has two lifts and perhaps they could maybe restrict one for those with accessibility needs/prams and one for general use but then how you police that would difficult to enforce fairly as some accessibly needs would be hidden.

I'm sorry it was a bit of a shit experience op. Eta: would it be worth contacting the museums team to discuss it to see if there is anything you felt could be improved in a practical way?

London museums are horrendous at peak times so I’m not surprised you had a horrendous experience. Please go again when it isn’t a bank holiday or a school half term to restore your faith that these places can be relaxing and inclusive.

One of my favourite things to do in London when I lived there was go to galleries and museums for the last hour of opening on a Friday night - absolute bliss.

Sorry you had that experience, OP. I learned from experience that the Science and Nat History museums are best visited at opening time for a short time and then head over to V&A for far more civilised lunch before leaving. But that's not possible for everyone. The lifts at Science Museum are inadequate and there should be a better way to enforce the priority use for those unable to use the stairs.

The crowds are the result of free access. Which is a good thing. But has downsides.

How do you usually manage in crowded places? I expect the running children aren't as much of an issue on busy streets but ij the museum they're given more free rein by parents.

Exactly.

I feel sorry for OP having a bad experience but I wouldn’t advise anyone going there on a BH if they didn’t have kids, regardless of whether they were in a wheelchair.

I think it’s common sense to be careful when picking a venue.
When you have a wheelchair, young kids, prams, difficulty walking, dislike of busy places etc etc then of course you take it all into consideration when planning a day out.

I am sorry you went through that ,it sounds awful. But honestly no way would I go to the Science Museum on a Bank Holiday. Whether you are a wheelchair user or not you have to pick your times!

Terrible time to visit. I hate that place tbh. I think that it is pretty much for kids, so kids being pretty wild is to be expected & long queues for lifts etc.
I voted YABU because it was always going to be utter chaos there on May bank hol for everyone involved and you could have foreseen it would be even more difficult on this date and in a wheelchair

People also need to learn to share their space with children! I'm one of the first to hate children screaming in public places and charging around but that's why I choose NOT to go to certain places at certain times. Such is life! What did you really expect on a bank holiday weekend? The general public are the most irritating species to deal with and unfortunately everyone thinks they take priority.

The same adult also suggested that it wasn't the most ideal place to be in a wheelchair with so many children around.

well this bit filled me with blind rage. I’m so sorry you had to deal with all of this OP.

It’s a science museum problem. They allow far, far too many people in at once. It’s also very unpleasant to visit as an
able-bodied adult, if that makes you feel any better!

I think every older secondary age kid should have to spend a week in a wheelchair, a week with blindness simulator glasses and a white cane, a week with earmuffs or something to simulate hearing loss, a week shadowing staff in a care home and a week waking to the average sleep schedule of a newborn. To make them more rounded people.

People are so utterly self absorbed and unaware of how to make even slight changes to their actions to help disabled people, it's actually staggering.

My kids school had a blind lady and her guide dog in to visit and talk about her life. Activities like that would help from a young age, but PP are right - we just need to keep pushing our disabled asses out there and discomfiting everyone til they learn 😂

Which is fucking exhausting. And I'm angry and tired that it is still possible , in 2026, to be made to feel like a struggling burden in a museum in one of the world's top cities. I've felt and experienced it many times. It's shit. People forget that inclusion and accessibility are two very different things.

Don't even get me started on normies using disabled toilets....

I’m able bodied and I’d never go to the big museums over a bank holiday/school holiday. Way too crowded and young children are not know for being considerate unfortunately.

I don’t think this a problem just with bank holidays but a particular issue at the science museum with crazed and overstimulated children. I went on a random term time school day with my preschoolers and it was rammed with school groups going absolutely beserk and the teachers unable to control their groups. This was mainly in the Wonderlab area but it spilled over to the rest of the museum. My 4 year old was getting shoved and pushed out of queues and having interactive things like balls snatched off her. Obviously it’s great that kids are being educated about science but…the set up just seemed to encourage 8-14 year olds to go rampaging round without really taking in much learning. The staff looked exhausted and ground down.

OP that sounds terrible, I'm sorry you had such a shit experience. No YANBU to have gone in, why shouldn't you? People can be so rude and unaccommodating, and the lift thing is just pure rudeness.