Will I be allowed to join the accessible queuing system?

[InvisibleDisability]

I really want to see the lying in state in London as a sign of my respect for her majesty. I’ve been watching all coverage on TV and her dedication and loyalty to us all has been making me frankly emotional. I feel the least I can do to honour her is to brave the crowds and the conditions to see her lying in state.

However… I have (several) invisible disabilities including POTS and ME/CFS. These mean I get tired easily and when I overdo it am prone to collapsing. However, I’m willing to risk it for this last chance to pay my respects. Do you think I would qualify for the accessible queuing system? Would I need to bring “proof” of disability? I’ve got my PIP paperwork if that’s needed?

note: the guidance has just been released on gov website announcing the queuing route and the accessible queuing scheme which is much shorter and will operate on a ticketing basis. By all accounts you turn up at Tate Britain to get a timed ticket (nor guaranteed as depends on numbers I guess) then you go to the palace for the set time?

You definitely can’t queue on behalf of someone else, as we asked about that. My friend and I went up twice, and we live in London. - Last night at 8:30pm, they were giving out tickets for around 5-6am today, and the queue was quite short but l we couldn’t do that time slot because needed to be back for school run etc. They advised us to go back this morning and try to get a slot for tonight. When we got there - just after the main queue had closed mid-morning - the accessible queue was 4 hours long (!) with estimates that the tickets would be for the early hours. There’s obviously no way my friend or I could have stood for that long and it wasn’t very accessible at all. Glad we made the call to just give up, as would have been devastated to be turned away when the accessible queue closed half an hour later. We had half considered third time lucky in the early hours of tomorrow but now that it’s not opening til midday it seems like madness. A huge shame. We are ok because we only travelled up from another part of London - devastating for people who’ve travelled long distances to be there.

Accessible queue a nightmare, now not opening till 12 my MIL could not cope overnight with the cold anyway

People are already queuing for the queue to reopen, we have train booked for the afternoon, so no way we can head there at 12 as I believe all wristbands will be for Sunday

We are making the best of it we can but if anyone knows of a miracle to get just 1 person in to pay there respects let me know as we would give anything to allow MIL to have her moment

Is there anywhere on line that says if the accesable queue is definitely shut now until midday tomorrow?

Yes it's on Twitter on the official queue announcements :( states all timeslots for accessible access are full upto 12pm tomorrow, kiosk will open again at midday

twitter.com/DCMS/status/1570852396917719041?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Yes, I think that’s what I may do. Might go up tomorrow to see what’s happening with the supposedly accessible queue, but if no slots will just take him for a walk to Green Park.

Could a family member wait overnight then swap with MiL?

Persistence is what seems to be paying off. But following the 'official guidance' will ensure you won't get in tomorrow. The guidance is yo prevent more people coming. But people will still turn up and queue if allowed. If not tonight then VERY early tomorrow is what I would be aiming for.

I’m not sure that huge numbers of people who were at the end of the main queue, when it was closed, immediately went off and joined the accessible queue. The accessible queue was already very long when the main one was closed. The end of the main queue (Southwark Park) is nowhere near the accessible queue (Tate Britain). Imo, it’s the recent increased publicity coupled with a large amount of self-selection being allowed, which has rendered the accessible queue anything but.

@watcherintherye : I agree with both your points

@givemebooks : I thought I had already suggested, my last hope would be (as @DysonSphere suggested) - have a family member queue overnight, call your MIL wheh you are close to Lambeth Bridge (eg after London eye) & ask her to get to Victoria Tower Gardens (see pics)

When you (the queuee) enter VT gardens there is a wristband check - explain situation and see if something can be done for your MIL at that point

She should be able to physically get to the garden entrance (south entrance) but won’t be admitted without a wristband - maybe the volunteers will swap you over there?

Right I'd say come now. The disability queue is just starting to form again. Very few people there

Of course you'll likely be in for quite a wait still

Anyone know what the accessible queue is looking like today?

It is not due to reopen until midday.

Thank you

See @DysonSphere ’s comment above. Unlikely that everyone is going to wait until midday to start queuing, especially those who have travelled and don’t really have anywhere to go.

But isn’t the point of the accessibility queue That it is for people who can’t physically queue for a long time? So everyone in it by definition doesn’t need it

No, it’s not just for those who can’t physically queue. The government website says it’s for:
“disabled, D/deaf and neurodiverse people and people with long-term health conditions and mobility issues.”

The accessibility queue was definitely intended for those who would find longer queues difficult/impossible for whatever reason, physical or otherwise. I think the original idea was to enable a short queue with timed slots given, for which you could wait in an area with seating, toilets etc. Then with the numbers increasing, and the slots further in the future, people could go away and return for their time. However it’s now the case apparently that even to get your timed slot is involving hours of queueing, which does seem to defeat the object.

We decided not to drive from Leeds to London after all 😢. There's just too much uncertainty about what's happening and how long we'd need to queue. I could maybe have managed around 3 hours at a push, but that's it. We planned on parking up at the end of the tube line and getting the tube into London, the tube itself does my knees in.

Disappointed at the lack of official information coming out of London. The media are more interested in speaking to people in the queue asking how they feel FFS. We KNOW how they feel! Give us some useful information!
I'm grateful to those people in this thread who have given us real time updates and allowed us to make an informed decision.
We'll enjoy a day off on Monday, watching the funeral on TV and having a much needed rest.

The truth is, it really isn't wholly disabled friendly.
The way the disabled are drip fed into the main queue in the hall can mean a few hours wait after getting 'in' apparently some people have specific timed tickets and some general 2 hour slots. Delay that by an hour or so and you end up waiting quite a bit albeit not standing very much to be fair and offered hot drinks and blankets. Also some slots are very early which can be a strain on those unwell who have to go away somewhere and come back in the space of not many hours.

I saw the queue for the last time around 5:30am this morning.

It was still fairly small at that point.
I think staff were just suddenly inundated yesterday after the main queue was closed and they messed up and ended up confusing people by closing then reopening the ticket system
It's possible yesterday's madness won't be repeated today and it will be moving smoothly as they anticipate demand better

But equally it would not be wise to wait till 12 after what happened yesterday. Everyone was given that info yesterday when I turned up and about 600 or so people went away to return today.

There are also people taking obvious advantage. They haven't wised up to ask for proof. Which they should be doing at this point. Yesterday groups of people attempted to push in the front and one man pretended he didn't speak English when the police tried to remove him.
He spoke perfect English when he got a wristband.

I honestly thought people were more informed about accessibility and disability these days.

...

About disabilities and accessibility these days

Asking for proof could be illegal becuase the definition of disability is a legal one not a medical one. So if you want proof you need a court to say 'yes this person meets the LEGAL definition'.

A PIP letter, sunflower lanyard, blue badge etc from a MEDICAL perspective isn't going to give you that proof.

Not every disabled person is visible. Not every disabled person wants benefits or a blue badge. Maybe its a pride thing, or a fear of being labelled. Doesn't mean they don't need assistance.

Just because someone can walk, doesn't mean they understand the concept of queuing or are able to do so for long periods. They can still be disabled. I have a cousin with a stoma. She looks perfectly fine but in reality could struggle with the main queue. She gets really upset by people thinking she's faking it.

Even I am getting upset reading these posts from other disabled people. Its not a fucking competition over who is more disabled than others.

I've just left London after my time slot of 4-5 am. The accessibility queue is I'd say 4 times longer than yesterday. Good luck to everybody. It starts at the Tate Britain, goes past the tate , past the Hilton and snakes back round to the beginning of the start of the queue. X