Priority seats on trains!!!!

[MarcelineTheVampire]

I was on a busy train this morning and an elderly disabled lady boarded the train, there were no seats and she was tentatively looking around, so I asked if anyone could let this lady sit down (I was stood up) - everyone looked away and a bloke actually said 'well, I'm playing cards so I can't- these young boys could get up'.

Another man did get up in the end but AIBU to expect common decency to remove yourself from a seat if a disabled person gets on the train? And playing cards isn't a valid reason not to get up? In addition he was a bit ageist in suggesting that the young boys could get up but he couldn't possibly?

Btw I didn't aim it at anyone in particular as some people may have really needed their seat but if it was me I would have been the first person to get up- maybe I have too high expectations.

I once gestured to an elderly gent who was struggling walking with sticks to go in front of me in a bus queue, he went crazy he told me I was rude and needed to 'act like a lady' you cannot win as I'm sure if I didn't let him in front I would have heard a loud tut and how rude I was for not letting him in!!

A long time ago I was on a train returning home at the end of a long day. i was sitting by the window on a row of three seats. A 'lady' sat on the aisle sit of the row and out a (rather nice) bouquet of flowers on the seat between us. After a while station the train was full and all seats in the section were taken (one by the flowers). A gentleman looking for a seat asked the 'lady' in the aisle seat if they were her flowers, she simply turned the page in her magazine; he asked me if they were my flowers and I said no and indicated the aisle seat; he asked the people opposite if they were their flowers, they said no. He picked up the flowers and asked the whole section if the flowers belonged to anyone, when no one claimed them he said "must have been left behind on the up journey...shame.." Still Miss Aisleseat said nothing and the gentleman remained standing. Until just before his stop (Denmark Hill which serves a hospital) when he said, "Would be a shame for these to go to waste...I'll take these to the hospital with me...should cheer someone up". He picked up the flowers and jumped off the train! Miss Aisleseat ran after him but I've no idea what happened then as the train carried on and two people were able to take the vacated aisle and flower seats.

I think they should just give out cards, and you have to move for someone with a card all pregnant women should get one
That is how it works.

Setups, type 1 diabetes is an exhausting lifelong condition.
It would be up to the individual to assess their needs at that moment.

Thanks for the heads up about the priority seat card. I don't live in London/SE and my bus company doesn't seem to do one, but I'll keep an eye out. Meanwhile when we go to London I'll continue pushing my son into tube trains before anyone else and making him grab a seat for himself. He's getting a bit big for me to hold onto safely.

The situation i spoke about i feel that my dn was entitled to use the priority seats because he hadnt eaten in quite a few hours and therefore was in danger of having a hypo episode. When my dn has a hypo he gets dazed, confused, upset, dizzy, and sometimes he also hallucinates. Standing for long periods of time can cause hypos. This is why he is also entitled to a bus pass, disabled badge, gets fast passes for places like Alton Towers.

And if being pregnant isnt a lifestyle choice what is it? Most pregnant women have chosen to get pregnant.

I think I've mentioned this before, but when I had crutches (bright pink, you couldn't miss them!) a real low point was a VICAR in a dog-collar not offering me a priority seat. Happy to give him the benefit of the doubt - maybe he needed it - but there was a general stunned silence and someone offered me a normal seat (pregnant/elderly etc in the others). I half expected him to make awkward eye contact and apologise, or just say "sorry, I need it", but he stared resolutely at the ground.

Another time though the escalators on the tube were down, and I slowly eased myself down towards the platform. I got to the bottom and a businessman behind me started laying into the TFL people about how they had let me down. I was fine!!

I understand how awful hypo episodes can be, I have friends with living with the serious side effects of not managing their diabetes.

Why didn't your DN/you have food with you? Was the train horribly delayed and you ran through all your emergency supplies? I hope you had insulin with you, otherwise that situation sounds horribly dangerous. If your DN is having regular hypoglycemic episodes that are escalating and causing him serious life limiting problems then he/his parents/you really need to look into how to better manage his condition.

Leave the pregnant women alone.

Reboot - that is terribly irresponsible then for him not to have eaten for 4 hours if he gets hypo. Perhaps you should have made sure he ate, then he would have been fine and someone else could have the priority seat

... And I still don't understand why you needed one?

candykane25 Thu 04-Aug-16 10:25:59
Just for information purposes, the wheelchair spot on buses etc is not just for wheelchairs but all disabilities. The sign for disability is s wheelchair but it's not just for wheelchairs.

NO its a wheelchair space........for you guessed a wheelchair

Thanks for the heads up about the priority seat card. I don't live in London/SE and my bus company doesn't seem to do one
I would definitely keep look out for them as I think that one train company started the idea and now others are doing the same and eventually all of the train companies will adopt the scheme.

Reboot I'd say it's a "lifestyle choice" to not eat for hours before getting on a train and putting yourself at risk for an episode.

Pregnant women keep the population going so without them the human race would sort of die out....

The reason he hadnt eaten was because he had a hospital appointment that went from a half hour appointment to an hour and a half appointment. By the time we came out of the appointment it was a case of either running for the next train home or get something to eat and wait three hours for the next train after that. Which also meant not getting home until after 10pm.

So it wasnt a lifestyle choice it was a routine hospital appointment gone wrong. Its not an everyday occurance.

Most hospitals have cafeterias and vending machines

Pregnant women keep the population going so without them the human race would sort of die out....
I don't think there is any danger of the human race dying out anytime soon. In fact I think there is the opposite problem where in the next few generations there are going to be so many people that there just won't be enough resources for everybody to survive.

No the human race won't die out soon. But it's hardly a "lifestyle choice" to be pregnant. It's sort of a necessity to continue human life!

It's quite startling to see the amount of minimising of disability and specifically the effects of a disability on everyday living tasks.
And how no explanation is good enough, there's always something more the disabled person could have done, not the able bodied person.

Need no not referring to the diabetes posts specifically.
On these breads I kind of sigh when I see the thread title because I know what will happen.
At some point all the onus on support will be put on the disabled person. It's not the able bodied person problem.
People with disabilities have a whole raft of challenges to deal with, not just medical treatment to "solve" the problem.
An able bodied person being temporarily inconvenienced has a lesser impact than a disabled person facing constant inconvenience from the moment they wake up, 24hrsva day, 365 days a year.
Many cola nations and justifications are offered up by others as to why able bodied people don't or won't assist a disabled person. It might be dressed up in other words but that's essentially what it is.

Threads not breads

Ffs explanations not cola nations.
Not the first time my phone has done that autocorrect. Why oh why oh why...

This is a good link about offering help.
At least if you offer, it can be declined if not needed.

acceptdifference.org.au/what-you-can-do-2/inclusive-actions/

Candy you are completely right!!!!!!