Madmouse's open letter to MNHQ about the treatment of those with disabilities on MN

Make way for the crutches that are coming on the bus.
Make way for the Zimmer frame
Make way for the walking stick
Make way for the guide dog

Each one of these aids has a human attached to it, they are the priority not the aid. Referring to someone as their aid and not as a person dehumanises them.
As for buggies most people refer to the parent pushing a buggy and not just the buggy

Was stuff on the channel 4 news debating this tonight

Which bit don't you get?

Please, tell me, which bit are you having trouble with? Please

Seriously Maryz? Seriously?

Although why I'm surprised I don't know. I posted on the first wheelchair thread photographs of the stickered instructions actually displayed on London buses. Despite spelling it out for the hard-of-thinking people still argued and claimed superiority of need. Or worse, said that the stickers were different where they lived despite it being a thread about a London bus and the stickers being those issued by TFL (transport for London).

Well since theres no specific space for a buggy and you only pay for parent buggy gets folded and child goes on knee its not rocket science

So it is also offensive to make space for "a buggy to come onto the bus"?

Of course silly me I forgot that wheelchairs magically propel themselves and park in a space without a disabled person occupying them.

no it's not acceptable shorthand

I can't believe you find it acceptable

No, just no

It is a space for a wheelchair user. It is not somewhere to park a wheelchair.

To elaborate, the person in the chair needs to use the space because s/he cannot sit on a normal seat (of which there are usually about 77) or stand. S/he can only sit in their wheelchair in the space specifically designated for a wheelchair user. Those wheelchair users who can sit elsewhere due to limited mobility still have to sit in the chair because otherwise they would be taking up a seat and a large space where the chair's parked.

Does that make more sense?

But surely in this particular case "saying a wheelchair needs on the bus", is acceptable shorthand as the wheelchair is the specific thing that is entitled to the specific space on the bus?

It is not a space for the disabled
Or for people with LDs
Or people with MS
It is specifically labelled as a space for wheelchairs.

Woah! Don't shoot off yet - I think you're winning at the moment although obviously still in the midst of the current battle.

Take heart. You have a lot of support.

I already left for this same reason.
Guess what? MNHQ did not give a shit.

I meant I'm glad people asked because I find the posts where people say "I can't see anything wrong with saying she's a diabetic, because she is". Not because I wanted an opportunity to lecture

It's a brave thing to ask for more information or admit ignorance and anyone who is genuinely asking should be treated respectfully and generously. I can see a point to that. Educating bigots... not so much.

ItsAll, the same would have been said of terms like Little Lady, Spacker, Nigger, Raghead, Yid, Cripple, Half Caste etc at some point in the last 50 years.

Tell me what's offensive about Coloured other than historical context? Then say it to dp's face and see what happens. He's lucky enough to have the verbal (and, unfortunately, physical) skills necessary for self defence. Can a chair user return a punch? A person using a communication device reply with a cutting put down? A visually impaired person describe their attacker to the police?

thats it for me, I have emailed mn hq and been ignored, I have asked them on here and been ignored.
my thread was deleted. yet a newer one was left!!
bye

Well said.

For those that have asked (and I'm glad you did) it is considered very offensive to reduce people to their condition. For example, someone has diabetes but that is not all they are so solely describing someone as diabetic is quite rude or occasionally dismissive. The equivilent would be to describe someone as "the blonde" or "the gay" or "the black". Wheelchair is even more offensive because it isn't even part of the person and we should always be talking about people first and foremost because that is respectful and how we all like to be treated. Common courtesy.

I admit sometimes I say someone is a diabetic instead of has diabetes or similar when having a relevant conversation because it used to be considered perfectly acceptable to talk about people like that and it's habit and lack of opportunities to change my behaviour (I don't have many chats about disability). I try not to do it and pull myself up when I do because it is rude.

The more we all strive to get it right the more automatic it will become and the less acceptable reducing someone to their condition will become.

Itsallgoingtobefine - yes, it's the weakness of the internet and written communication. Makes for crappy constructive dialogue on 99% of issues.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine that post of yours sums it all up

robin I am not going to tritely say I understand, as obviously I can't not really.

However it seems that some posters are a bit oversensitive and choose to interpret ambiguous comments in a negative way rather than choosing to assume the positive.