Another buggy in wheelchair space thread

[MsAR]

I got on the bus at the same time as a wheelchair user was queuing to do so. The driver told the wheelchair user there wasn't room, so I quickly checked and saw it was a buggy and a shopping trolley in the space.

The driver told the wheelchair user there would be another bus in a few minutes and they didn't seem to mind and weren't particularly insistent about getting on.

Was I being unreasonable to step in at this point and tell the driver that the person with the buggy should get off as wheelchairs have priority? He was pretty annoyed when I did, and kept repeating that there wasn't space.

I'm in London, and there are clear signs on every bus stating this is the case. I've often had to get off a bus when a wheelchair needed to get on and would never question if asked to do so.

Would it also be unreasonable for me to complain to TFL? I know I'm being a busy body but the driver's attitude really irritated me! I'd like the mumsnet jury to help me decide what to do, if anything.

It is just another layer on the self centred privilege that having campaigned for decades to get disabled access, toilets etc etc , the response to pointing out that parents are squeezing the disabled out, is that they demand that once again the disabled do the campaigning.

Because that makes sense

FFS. I give up on this thread. When there is only one room to change your baby in the supermarket the room with the changing facilities is where you tend to go.
Not mine or other parents' fault it is designed the way it is. Sometimes there just isn't enough space to have a baby changing room and an accessible toilet in the same building- so they cram the 2 ideas all in to one and put them both in one room.

In my local shopping centre there is a baby changing room and there is also accessible toilets.

I honestly have never seen anyone in RL change their baby in the normal toilets in a cubicle or on the floor.

"Not hard of thinking. I just use the facilities available to me."

But... Oh never mind.

Looking for similarities rather than differences helps you not "other" a group of people.

Having to push a pram up that small incline made me appreciate how inaccessible some places are. That short flight Of steps as a short cut - now it's no longer the short cut it was. So I think both groups have a lot in common and recognising that helps you see you are often suffering from the same difficulty.
And one could appreciate the other quite well.

Like I said, I've never seen anyone use the normal toilet to change their baby. Now that the baby changing facilities are available most people tend to use them - not just me and not just headofthehive You're probably calling the majority of parents with babies because they decide to use the changing mat that is located in the accessible toilet. I think I/we would get odd looks doing it in the normal toilets on the floor because in RL and not on MN it just isn't the normal thing to do.

I wish my babies had fallen out of my hoohah.

And I will say once again, I am not talking about people using the baby changing that has stupidly been placed in the disabled toilet, but people using them because they can't fit their buggy in the standard toilet.

Also you do realise that having a baby change that is only for babies in the disabled toilet means there is no room for the larger height adjustable changing tables.

You may never have seen babies changed on cubicle floors but it has definitely happened!

Interestingly quite a few people on here are talking out of their hoo hah MrsDe.

I managed to navigate having a baby without becoming an utter ninny. I want a badge.

It's important in life to avoid odd looks.

I'm really confused. So it's not ok to use the fold down changing table provided by establishments?

Don't be confused.

Establishments fucking over disabled people by making their facilities available to people not dealing with disability isn't great. Just because they are there doesn't make that fair or reasonable.

Ok

I agree with Head and MeAnd*

Nobody is 'squeezing the disabled out'. But yes you need to share the space, with others who need it, particularly if the baby changing is located in there.

Do you honestly think mums should change their babies on their laps in a cubicle, on the off-chance someone may want to use the accessible loo?
My baby's comfort and safety is my priority. I will choose the safest most hygienic place to change him.

As someone said upthread, the space is not solely for wheelchair users. It's irrelevant whether your need is temporary or not. What counts is at that moment, someone needs to use the accessible loo. Irrelevant whether it's a wheelchair user, Zimmer-frame user, mum with pram, person on crutches, pregnant lady, person with hidden disability, desperate child etc.

Have some compassion

Ive missed the trick too MrsDeVere managed to do all those things and both my DCs are still in one piece.

Just because you haven't seen babies changed on cubicle floors doesn't mean its often happened

Yep. Done it a couple of times myself. One of the reasons I got a portable mat was because some of the changing facilities were bloody vile not cleaned up after.

I don't know if its the same in all Tescos but our Tescos have it right. One accessible room with changing facilities and breast/bottle feeding chair. One disabled toilet and then the men's and ladies loos.

So it's not ok to use the fold down changing table provided by establishments?

Testing testing.... Does this post exist .....am I the invisible poster....

For the 3rd or 4th time - no, where the baby change is placed is the fault of the planners.

People who actually need to use the disabled toilets due to disability know that it isn't an "off chance" that someone else will be using it. It's actually pretty common to have to wait to be able to get access to the only suitable toilet.

Where the baby change is in the disabled toilet, and that is the only baby change, yes that's not the fault of the parents as has been said over and over and over that is bad planning, there are very few regular toilets which can't fit a fold down table in. That still doesn't mean you can take the piss by taking the whole family in to use the disabled toilet, change the nappy as quick as you can and then leave it accessible for those who need it.

Have some compassion

Oh the irony.

For the love of Melanie Chisholme, if the baby change is in the disabled toilet - use it. But if you want to go for a pee and you have your children/buggy/baby with you, then using the disabled toilet makes life harder for disabled people.

Forgive me hazey. I'm stupid.

That's not fair Pagwatch

I want a badge too!

"have some compassion"

Ironic post of the week award.

Fuck off snow.

My hoo hah, my badge Hun.

You can share my badge I suppose. I'll use it whenever I want and you can wait until I'm ready.

wtf has happened to MN?