to think these people were selfish and rude.

[cakeoclock]

The push chair v wheelchair on a bus just reminded me what happened this weekend.

I was christmas shopping with friends (one in a wheelchair) in Harvey Nicks Leeds and it was pretty busy. We stood waiting for the lift, the doors opened and it was rammed full of people (no push chairs). Not one of the miserable gits got out to make space for the wheelchair just looked away until the doors shut and we had to wait ages for another lift. There were escalators less than a minute walk from the lift.

AIBU to think that this is lazy, selfish and awful and to hope if any of you are reading you feel ashamed.

Agreed!

You know though, if I was in a lift and it stopped at a floor and there was someone waiting in a wheelchair, I don't know that I would think to get out.

I will now though so, Hurray!

Hooray!

Same here Hully!

My eye! My eye!

I have so much to do. I have been arguing the toss instead of focussing on supper, and getting swim stuff ready, and stuff

I'm not doing anything today, didn't sleep last night so no brain to speak of. Going to watch last nights MiC Party in a mo and eat biscuits.

the problem though pag is that there are people out there with those attitudes.

yes on a thread it might all be a bit humorous to suggest ramming a wheelchair into a lift etc, but unfortunately these are real attitudes I have come across in the real world of disability.

I have for instance come across people who consider being offered help as patronising; who wouldn't get a guide dog because the public would give it more attention than them; people who think that being disabled should give them a front spot in the queue (even though they are perfectly capable of walking/queueing, we're not talking walking difficulties/learning difficulties where the ability to wait is difficult/people who think that being blind should entitle them to free entry into attractions and so the list goes on.

I have more experience with the elderly than I do with the disabled and I've come across some dreadful crosspatches. Perhaps they're a bit like a dog that's been mistreated and so snarl when people come close. I think the elderly are partiularly vulnerable because they're often unsteady and unconfident when out and their shopping/handbagas make them vulnerable. Maybe people lash out more when they feel that they don't have control?

Anyway, admidst my blethering, if a person didn't want help when offered, it wouldn't put me off offering to somebody else. I do take your point though, some people have become so heartsick of trying to get others to make allowances, that they become quite militant and 'don't care-ish' to the point of being rude first... attack being the best form of defence. It's a shame but understandable that the 'grumblers' are the ones that stick in one's mind.

I don't know what the answer is... just keep trying, I suppose, not letting the last person's anger stop you making an allowance for somebody else.

I left this thread and suddenly there are a million posts.
Can I just say that my sister in law has no sense of entitlement with regard to being disabled. She has a feeling that she should be treated as a person and not invisible.

I have stood with her at an elevator and waited on the lift going up full and down full, for twenty minutes. Given that she has no choice but to use the lift she had to wait like everyone else.

Had it not been for the fact that she needed the bathroom and I had to ask someone if they'd mind getting out of the lift so she could get there...we'd probably be still standing there.

What an inconvenience it must be for people to get off the lift and take a 2 minute detour to let someone get to the bathroom. Have we no compassion anymore? It sounds as though its everyone else who has the sense of entitlement.
"Well I was here first so i'm not moving"
It's disgusting.

Why not have some manners and show a wee bit of consideration for another person?
Or don't..and go about your life never holding a door for someone and walk by someone struggling with burst shopping bags. Its not your fault their bags burst, why should you help them?
I'm horrified by some of the responses on here I really am.

Blimey.

I've seen a fair few 'people with disabilities? fuck 'em' threads on MN, but this one must come close to winning some sort of prize.

I do not think I have ever been in a shopping centre in late November/December where the wait for a lift has been less than 15 minutes. mostly because a lot of people are too lazy to use the stairs.

I had to use a buggy for longer than is usual (dd1 has severe ASD) so my 'couple of years' using a buggy turned into nearly 6. and even then, once we ditched the buggy and struggled with walking, dd1 was phobic of escalators. and so we had to use the lift.

in her short life (she is 7), we have lived in 4 different areas, and so have experineced a fair few different shopping centres. we have always had to wait for ages to get in - the doors opening, lots of people gazing at us interestedly, as though we are a pleasant diversion for a few seconds before they continue on up/down.

dh has, at times, been moved to ask if anyone could vacate for us. I would say that on average this has about a 20% success rate (although maybe it was due to the fact that people thought we were not 'in need' as 'just' had a buggy. although dd1 was a very tall 6, and usually quite distressed by the time he asked, so fairly obvious that she was not NT, if you ask me)

now that she is no longer in a buggy, we use the stairs, if they are not located right next to the (to her) terrifying escalators. on a good day, we can get her to walk past the escalator and use the stairs, but not always. and so we continue to queue for lifts that are usually full of people who have no absolute need of them. because taking a 10 second detour is so fucking hard for some people.

And it is seen as acceptable for wheelchair users to say that they would ram the lift/wish they had a cattle prod attached for the tossers who didn't do so.

ffs wannabe when I posted earlier about ramming people I was joking tempting as it is, it isn't something my child would relish me doing with her WC.

and also WTF is it with mn and calling disabled people entitled just because they get fed up with shit