to think not folding a buggy to make way for a wheelchair user on a bus is despicable?

[Zara1984]

Just watching Channel 4 news here and a focus piece on public transport accessibility for disabled people.

Apparently one of the biggest users for wheelchair users is parents with buggies not folding them to make way for wheelchair users. This startled me - surely there are not really parents out there who refuse to fold down their buggies to make way for a person in a wheelchair??? Seriously? What kind of twat does that?

AIBU to think that any parent who does this is not a nice human being?

Does this actually happen???

Yes but she wasn't saying that she was being an overbearing mother who said she puts her child before anyone (hence anyone not just before disabled people). You are reading things that aren't there!

Canihave - well, why would you go out in unfavourable circumstances then?

As I said before, when you choose to get on a bus with a buggy, you know that it's possible someone with a wheelchair might need the space. So if you are going to take the bus, prepare accordingly, - make sure that you take a pram that you can manage to fold. You can't just say things like "If I had the bassinet attachment with me, I wouldn't get off". Don't choose to take the bassinet attachment with you when you take the bus then.

If you end up having to get off the bus in the rain, it is not the wheelchair user's fault. They are not meandering round for the fun of it trying to inconvenience parents with prams, and make their babies catch cold. They may (shock, horror) actually have somewhere that they need to get to themselves.

Disabalism may not be illegal but I still find it immoral.

Elizaregina, disability groups are getting vocal about the transport issue, hence the NoGoBritain campaign.

erm mygladheart - the lighten up comment was mine - and my ds is disabled so don't be so quick to judge.

Witches melt.

Kelly
It might be that you missed the point that the comparison was in the context of saying something unpleasant and then just assuming that the 'honesty' in expressing that view is somehow praiseworthy.
My point was that she said 'at least I am honest' as if that mitigates her 'screw the disabled, my kid comes first' view. I said that simply being honest about holding a repugnant view does not mitigate that view.

Although IMO disrespecting someone because of their race and disrespecting someone because of their disability are equivalent.

Perhaps if you are concerned about inflamatory comments on a heated thread you might more usefully refer yourself to the 'selfish bitch' alert post which seemed designed to add little to the debate.
If you are posting with 'selfish bitch alert' prefacing your comments it seems unlikely that you are seeking middle ground, wouldn't you say?

Sauvignon I agree completely! My point was that she was not showing prejudice just a slightly crazy and selfish view that her child comes before everyone regardless. If she was being prejudiced I wouldn't be saying this now!

Pagwatch the point is she was saying her kid comes first period. She was not making a prejudiced comment against people with disabilities so your comparison was inflammatory - dress it up how you wish. I am not seeking any ground I just completely disagreed with your rather bad analagy. This is also not a debate any more as too many people are misconstruing what other people are saying the same as in the other threads on this topic in the last few days.

Joyful - I guess because it is uncomfortable. We all get by day by day trying not to think of things that can happen. Like I pretend really hard that the extra weight I carry is not bad for my heart or likely to give me diabetes.

Myglad yes people voice a lot of horrible opinions on MN but it doesn't mean its right to take it out of context and compare it with racism unless a comment had been made in a predjudicial way against wheelchair users then it would have been comparible.

So someone who has a disabled child and wants to put their baby first can just go get knotted?

But that's not disablist.

CanI - why would you go out in heavy snow or heavy rain?

My buggies can't cope in the snow and the buses don't like it much either. (distant memories of carrying a 1 yr old and a folded maclaren to get home in the snow)

Pagwatch I don't feel that it's praiseworthy, no, but I do think too many people don't actually say what they would genuinely do in certain situations. Therefore I was just saying I was being honest...
Also, the selfish bitch alert was because I would hate for people to think that I don't know that the view that I hold is agreeably not a particularly nice one but it is however, my own.

You can keep telling me what I meant and what she meant and how she was just a simple soul but I was being inflammatory.
And I can keep thinking that your interpretation of both of our posting is highly subjective and speaks somewhat to your own views.

I am not given to dressing comments up. I am happy to point out when I think someone is being a racist. If that is what I thought I woukd have said exactly that and would continue to say it.

I used racism as an example of a repugnant view which would not be mitigated simply but admitting it. I can't really help you if you don't understand that.

CanI, may I suggest you still using buses and start going by car? That way you can be as selfish as you like, for now though if you want to take the wheelchair space, you should take the disability to go with it!

Disablism is illegal.
Under the Equality Act 2010.
Which is why I'm shocked MNHQ tolerate it.

It may be illegal Glitter but who knows about this act or cares?

Can someone make a racist joke like jimmy carr and frankie boyle picking on people with downs?

where are the disabled lobbies defending them, making people afraid/ashamed of using such horrid tearms as everyone is now - of fear of offending anyone of colour...if thats on ok term to use.

attitudes towards disabled people in this country and it being ok to poke fun and them in the media are getting worse all the time.

time for the lobbies ot get more tough and more vocal.

Everybodys Obviously I'm not deliberately going to go out in heavy snow/ rain, am I?

We're here. We really bloody are.
To illustrate a point - I helped Contact a Family wrt Universal Credit and how the cuts to it will affect families with disabled children.
Only the Guardian and Indie carried it, there was a news blackout despite pressure on social media and elsewhere.

There is a news blackout wrt disabled issues. I have no idea why.

Pagwatch I think we will have to agree to disagree. Equally I can not help you if you can not understand what I am trying to say.

I'm off to bed now :)