Disabled through the back door

[jammypuddingmonkey]

How unreasonable is it for me to be cross about someone saying that a disabled person is only allowed to use the back door for access, that they shouldn't want to use the front door? It feels a bit like disability discrimination...

This is in the house they live in, not a commercial building, nothing to do with anything regarding making the house accessible either. It's not that a ramp is only to one door, or anything like that.

The front door is nearest to the road. The back door isn't usable alone for the person, because of construction faults with it. The front door is usable independently.

The front door is accessible, but apparently is only to be used in an emergency, not day to day life.

So... The disabled person shouldn't answer the front door, or use it at all, they should only use the back door. It's not access within the house, it's literally that- you shouldn't use the front door, only the back, because you're disabled. Said almost like that, too... Previously said that the person should spend most of their time in the back of the house, too.

I'll add that there's ramps to both doors, both are widened. You have to pass the front door to get to the back door anyway.

Anyone an OT? Is this honestly the official opinion? Disabled only allowed to use the back door? Should stay out the main rooms? Hide away? There were worse comments made... I won't go into it all, too long!

Or is this expecting too much- wanting to use the front door...

This has been said several times to us. But yesterday was said directly- why do you want to use the front door? why?!

When so many other things are taken away by disability, so much independence lost and having to accept that, something small like deciding to use the front door because its easier surely shouldn't be a decision made by anyone other than the person who lives there?

By jammy at 11:21:27:

Ramp goes from drive to front door, dips and joins ramp to back door. So it's the same ramp really, in two parts. The front part had a minor repair, this was fixed by slapping metal on it- it's now a waterside for a wheelchair in the rain. We didn't know they were doing it like that, would have fixed it myself if we'd known...

A new OT came out to see the ramp. He wanted to know why my husband uses the front door. It's irrelevant to the metal ramp repair- it has to be used to access both the front and back.

Confused.

What is an OT?

Does what an OT says mean your husband isnt allowrd to use the front door or is it a suggestion? If it's a suggestion and nobody's saying you can't use the front door, ignore them and use the front door.

www.disabilityrightsuk.org/housing-grants

Grants cover "easier access to garden". Don't know if this would be helpful or not to the OP. Having RTFT I'm still none the wiser.

The OP mentions the disabled person not even answering the front door- I don't know what difference a ramp would make to this? I do understand though when there has been an issue with a service it can be very hard to move on and I've had many appointments where I have felt let down but actually with hindsight it was me projecting previous disappointments unfairly onto a current situation.
I hope the OP can get a second opinion or a satisfactory explanation- I can't imagine an OT actually thinking a disabled person should be hidden away.

sounds daft especially as need the ramp fixed to access either door

As for the fact most Ot say only front or back door can be adapted .If you speak to your local fire saftey officer they may actually have something to say about this in event of a fire and thewonly adapted way out is blocked it leaves you in a very dangerours situation

If it is just the metal that is the problem could you not just stick down grips on to the metal?

This is all very confusing and without knowing the layout, what was actually said and the OTs reasoning then it is difficult to comment further.

I do want reiterate as I and others have said the normal
position is to adapt one access point. It is only very rarely we can get agreement to do more than this (I do wonder if the conversion to both back and front has something to do with the OTs comment - we'll never know!)

Fire access is a point but many places only have one exit (my flat for one!). The fire service should also be aware of people who may be vulnerable in a fire and make the necessary risk assessments.

It is sadly most local authorities stance that only one doorway into a property can be adapted. This is due to cost implications as each permanent ramp can run into thousands of pounds.

Whatever the OT's opinion is, S/He will have to work in line with that policy.

This policy has been in place for as long as I have been an OT (Over 25yrs now) so we can't even blame the current government for it.

The policy stinks, but ultimately we are all responsible for it, until we are happy to pay more in tax to fund better equipment and adaptations then people with disabilities will continue to struggle and OT's will be blamed for non provision.

Love your user name COPM!!

I know people who use the back door As normal and the front door only when you get carried over it (born, wed, dead). Are you sure the OT wasn't like that?

I never had access to the garden via a ramped door at my old house. They'd have had to have either built a new door, or knocked down a shed to have done that.

I had to use the ramped front door, go down the pavement, up the path, through the gate and into the garden. It was an arse ache, but that's how it had to be.

It's not the same at all. It's like saying this free car you gave me is a mini and I WANT a Ferrari. If she isn't happy with the free work done she can pay for it herself

Yabu.

I used to work with a disabled person who was very entitled. He once started shouting and swearing on the phone to someone as to vote in the ge he didn't want to do it by post but in person and demanded the station was made accessible.

Arranie OT = Occupational Therapist.

I echo the other OT's that one access only rule is the norm. A lot of the areas I work(ed) in the back door is the main access (especially council built houses) so I may have tried to ascertain if one of the doors was used, though I generally word it in a 'which door do you use the most?' way.

Obviously not so in this case but sometimes doors are impossible to ramp, either because of outbuildings, sheds, internal steps etc or just the height of the threshold and the lack of frontage makes it impossible (ramps are generally put in with a gradient of 1:15) I know this isn't really relevant to the OP's situation but trying to explain the bigger picture.

OP - If the ramp is now dangerous to use that is a separate issue, is it a metal 'temporary' ramp or a permanent concrete ramp?

Arranie OT = Occupational Therapist.

I echo the other OT's that one access only rule is the norm. A lot of the areas I work(ed) in the back door is the main access (especially council built houses) so I may have tried to ascertain if one of the doors was used, though I generally word it in a 'which door do you use the most?' way.

Obviously not so in this case but sometimes doors are impossible to ramp, either because of outbuildings, sheds, internal steps etc or just the height of the threshold and the lack of frontage makes it impossible (ramps are generally put in with a gradient of 1:15) I know this isn't really relevant to the OP's situation but trying to explain the bigger picture.

OP - If the ramp is now dangerous to use that is a separate issue, is it a metal 'temporary' ramp or a permanent concrete ramp?

I thought all Polling Stations have to be accessible, Mine, which is at the school, was moved and I always presumed that it was because the original location within the school was not wheelchair accessible whilst the current one is.

OP You need to talk to your OT and ask what they mean instead of speculating when you don't understand what s/he advised.

Anyone an OT? Is this honestly the official opinion? Disabled only allowed to use the back door? Should stay out the main rooms? Hide away? There were worse comments made... I won't go into it all, too long!

^^ This is absurd. You've obviously misunderstood the role of occupational therapy, which is to enable the service user to live as independently as possible, and to help them continue to engage in any activities they identify as being meaningful to them.

Are you serious? Everyone is entitled to vote, but can't see why everyone should be entitled to vote in person. What about shift workers or many others that can't phisically.

Anyway said guy was a dick, often shouted at people for using the accessible toilet, as if it was his own personal toilet being the only visabily disabled person. Despite the office having a shortage of toilets and people were always waiting for the two normal ones.

Now that I appear to have the ability to post again, this smacks very much of a misunderstanding which the OP has chosen to interpret as discrimination and posted here to whip up sympathy.

There has been no actual explanation of why they are 'not allowed' to use the front door and the OP has not elaborated on all the questions she has been asked.

So until she does, which I suspect she won't, at least not in a way which allows people to make an educated and reasonable response, I'm assuming that she just wants to a) attention seek or b) try and get people to agree with her on the internet so she can show someone the thread and say 'look! Mumsnet agrees you are discriminating against me!'

Really, Flaperon?

I read it as someone at the end of their tether venting. Which last time I checked is allowed.

I seem to be copying jammy wholesale, but anyway:

"When so many other things are taken away by disability, so much independence lost and having to accept that, something small like deciding to use the front door because its easier surely shouldn't be a decision made by anyone other than the person who lives there?"

As jammy has made clear, the same repair serves both doors. There is no cost difference.

And the educated and reasonable response to this thread is to recognise that the OP's post shows how dealing with this crap, year in, year out, makes them feel.

Just as some Heath Visitors say dim things which distress people needlessly, so some Occupational Therapists do too.

Yes, of course the new mum should be patient, smile and nod, and ultimately be better informed and more professional than the person being paid to "help" her. But there are enough threads on here of people venting and doubting themselves, and asking for perspective on the daft things the HV has said.

Ditto this situation.

And as for the comment that seems to have tipped OP over the edge - "But why do you WANT to use your front door" - good grief.

You'd have thought someone making their living organising disability access would have some grasp of the decades of disabled people being sent round the back of every public building to use the cargo entrance with the slimy giant bins. Perhaps the OT's next role could be in race relations and they could patiently explain to black people that the back of bus gets there just as quickly, so why would they WANT to sit at the front.

If there were a cost implication in this case, it might be something that had to be lumped, but nope, there's not.

BTW, by "crap, year in, year out," I mean all of it.

All the battles. All the time. Not necessarily with OTs or specific people at all. Everything is just that bit harder, and there's that much less room for error before the merely inconvenient turns into a showstopper.

Things you don't expect to be battles, but suddenly turn out to be. Things that you know will be battles, and are unavoidable.

You just get on with it.

It wears you down.

So when it's an issue like safe access to your house, and the "gatekeeper" for that can't grasp a very simple wheelchair route, it's more than a touch frustrating. And scary.

I can completely understand if this has been a final straw and jammy needs a rant.