Disability lift

[marge26]

lurking for about a year, first time poster.
I bring toddler (2.5) to sports-type activity every Friday afternoon. Baby always come along and watches from her pram. It takes place in a church/school hall building with multiple floors. The particular sports hall we need to get to is on a lower level so each week we use the disability lift to get down.
Today the lift wasn't working so I asked the guy on reception if it was broken. He said it was just turned off so school kids don't mess around with it. He turned it on for us but as he did so he said "it's a disability lift, it's not for prams". I just said that I didn't know how else we would get down. And he said ok and off we went.
But I feel so annoyed that he challenged me on using it. From a purely practical view I'd need to bring toddler down and leave him at the bottom of the stairs alone, then take baby out of pram and leave her down the stairs on her own (on the floor?) and then take pram apart and bring it down (maybe one or two more trips needed). It seems completely unnecessary. We weren't preventing anyone else (with an obvious disability) from using the lift.
I also think he should be aware that not all disabilities are visible and my baby or I could have needed to use the lift for disability-related reasons. (We are lucky that this is not the case).
So AIBU in using the disabled lift each week? (The are a few other mums who also have prams and use it too) and WIBU to complain about the reception guy?
Thanks for reading!

Yes it's just ignorance about disability. The general view of disability is that it's soneone with lower limb mobility issues,with no problems at all asking for what they need. I did think having to hold a button is ludicrous - even if you have upper limb mobility you have to position the wheelchair in a very specific position.

It is similar to the Disabled Toilets which have baby change facilities for babies, but not for older children or adults with disabilities - bloody crazy!

Absolutely! Even in spinal rehab there were some times when I wanted to bash my head against the wall. One time they had a seminar on sportssports on the timetable. Them, a tetra girl and a room full of paras. Being told all about wheelchair basketball and rugby etc etc etc. The two tetras found that oh so informative. They were offered blow darts. But someone else has to hold the pipe and load the dart.

On the plus side, there is a huge amount of technological help for tetrastetras, so communications technology is very accessible. Best job for a tetra person is in IT for sure!

I don't think OP is being unreasonable at all.

I'm disabled and wouldn't have a problem with her using the lift. Where I live there are quite a few shops with that type of lift, I presume because they are cheaper to install than a standard lift. In our local Dunelm the staff use it to get between floors with a trolley full of goods.

I know they were installed because buildings had to be accessible to the disabled but I don't think they are exclusively for the disabled. It's incredibly short sighted of the venue to turn it off because school children mess about it in, do they not think that disabled parents might attend the activity?

This reminds me of the day I went to a parents evening at my DC's old school, it was upstairs so I went to use the lift and it was turned off because the kids mess about in it. They weren't particularly apologetic and it couldn't be turned on because the caretaker wasn't in.

Generally speaking, I don't mind parents using lifts meant for folks with disabilities... People with disabilities Must be given priority

There are plenty of 'entitled demanders', yes it may he inconvenient, BUT you Can access places independently.

BUT

Please be aware:
--people with disabilities may have double incontinence.. And you blocking the lift could mean they sh*t themselves...would you want this for yourself? No thought not..

--By many people using them... It may give the message its ok for EVERYONE to use them... This increase chance of breakdown.. I have lost count of the number of parents that let their kids play on these lifts...

If the list breaks down - I can't access the building...
Impact:

I have cancelled theatre tickets (when I arrived..) as the lift had broken down.

I missed half a performance at another theatre as the maintenance team hadn't finished.

I wet myself as a small non disabled toddler (I checked) was using the disabled loo.

..
This probably seems aggressive but this is many disabled people's reality...

It's a building with more than one level. Therefore making it inaccessible easily for a while host of the population.

By adding a lift for those with disability you aren't making the building 'accessible'. You are in fact actively discriminating against a whole host of the population with other accessible needs.

I know many buildings where there is more than one floor, they have lifts - for anyone that needs the accessibility feature.
Most have signs asking for you to prioritise those with disability, young children and/or a buggy.

What drives me nuts is the members of the population who don't prioritise those people. Not with parents who have a toddler and pram who don't try and bump them down the stairs, whilst carrying baby in a long and holding on to a toddler. Why would any decent human being think this situation preferable to using a lift? It's actually quite dangerous. (And yes people use to do it blah blah blah but why do something dangerous when it's unnecessary).

I remember visiting a Woolworths when ds was a toddler, they had an escalator upstairs to the children department and cafe, which you couldn't take buggies on. And stairs. I asked if I could use the lift because I had a shoulder injury and couldn't carry buggy and get ds up stairs. Nope. I asked if someone would take ds or buggy for me. Nope.
So I bought my stuff in BHS and ate in the cafe there

Not everybody fits in a neat little box and everyone's needs vary. Making everything accessible to all is the only way forward. I truely believe by making such a song and dance about some things being solely for use of those with a disability your still separating this population out as being 'different' - exactly the opposite of what disability groups are campaigning for. No parent of a child, child or adult I know with a disability that would prevent them from using stairs would ever think it was acceptable for adults to be bumping pushchairs down stairs when a lift is available.

I also think there needs to be more facilities available for those in wheelchairs, such as toilets with hoists, in many more public spaces, shopping centres, leisure facilities, museums etc.

So I don't think you are BU.

Op,I'm disabled and would need to use the lift,2 of our 5 children are also disabled so would need to use the lift.

But I would in no way have a problem with you using the lift to get yourself and 2 small children to your activity.

If anything I think it's daft that who ever organized the classes didn't think about the problems the stairs could cause for parents like yourself.

forget bloody disability lifts. my bug bear is when the shops use the lifts for goods, and expect you to wait.\I got a dirty look in BHS when I asked if the person I was with in a wheelchair could go before her empty rail.

On the toilets issue I recently visited a chain pub with DS the disabled toilet was a radar one but had a sign on the door asking people to not close the door when they had finished. It was also the only baby change facility so I had to queue with DS behind 3 mother wanting to change nappies (I didn't realise nappy changes could take so long!) DS did shut the door when he had finished!

To be fair to them I complained and on my next visit there was a sign on the door saying that the key could be got from the bar and a pull down baby change station in the ladies.

Sirzy I can't believe people chose to use a disabled toilet when there was a baby change station somewhere else.That's disgusting behavior!

I assume it was because the one in the ladies was already being used that was all I could think of.

A disabled toilet should never be the only baby change facility. Disabled toilets should have them for disabled parents/children to use but one should be available elsewhere.

Thanks everyone for your posts/opinions. Just reading through them all and feeling less unreasonable now

Thanks again everyone for sharing your experiences and viewpoints. (I'm really seeing the value of Mumsnet!) I've decided I will ring the Hall on Monday and ask the question (rather than complaining). It would be great to clarify with them if the lift is strictly for those with disabilities only, or whether the idea of accessibility for all requiring it could be considered. Depending on the outcome, I'll bring it to the attention of the activity organisers so they are aware of any potential Impact on their customers.
Your responses really helped me think it through and decide what to do. Thanks!