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?

Estimate queue is nearly a mile all told and 3 or 4 people deep. X

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

No-one’s saying that it is, I hope. It’s just that with self i.d. for anything, there is always the possibility of it being abused. I’m sure there are many, many people without ‘proof’ and with invisible disabilities who have used the accessibility queue completely appropriately. I am also sure that there are some who have used it, who didn’t need to.

I looked at coming to this, but I’m not sure I will. I am in London, so it should be easy, and I am both medically and legally disabled. But I don’t have a blue badge, PIP, DLA, or anything. I don’t look the least bit disabled from the outside.

I don’t think that’s an issue at all. You don’t have to ‘look’ disabled to use the accessibility queue. However, the sheer numbers using it mean that there is a very long wait time anyway, which, for some, will defeat the object of having the queue. Only you know if you could cope with the (at least shorter than the main queue) wait/early hours slot/potential of them ‘closing’ the queue. If you think you could, then I’d go for it.

Oh give over!

I have several invisible disabilities. I can look fine. I get the usual rubbish assumptions about me being a lazy workshy git who is hamming it up for an easy life. But I was prepared to be questioned and asked for proof and wouldn't have been annoyed in the slightest and neither would any of the genuine people there. Because extreme situation demands it. I went with Pip letter and my meds. Had I not had the Pip, I'd have brought old letters from hospital consultant and GP about my illness/time off requests.

The burden of proof doesn't need to be huge. But do you think it helps any of the people you mention when people who are well, fake it and make it impossible for genuinely disabled people to get in? They just literally walk in instead of going to the other queue? Because that's literally how it was.

I saw people in floods of tears yesterday being turned away, people who cannot return, including those struggling mentally... one or two who were really struggling to face the fact of not getting in. All while others obviously blagged it to get in. Or do you think it was coincidence that there was a huge surge in numbers after they announced the normal queue was closed?

And for what it's worth, many people told to come back today were really annoyed and arguing with the stewards as to why they we're being asked to go home, and yet they were not asking anyone for medical proof. They said it was madness.

Medicines, proof of doctors appointments, prescription requests, or something should have been requested as bare minimum proof once it became obvious the system was being exploited. There has to be a practical point of vetting people. In the beginning few days no proof was fine. Not now when when people who have booked assistance for trains and paid £££ for special Ubers and arranged carers are being told go home.

I have several invisible disabilities. I can look fine. I get the usual rubbish assumptions about me being a lazy workshy git who is hamming it up for an easy life.

And yet:

All while others obviously blagged it to get in.

How do you know it’s not you making ‘rubbish assumptions’? For better or worse, no proof has been required, so no need for ‘blagging’, as you put it.

@piegone can you explain why you think I don’t understand disability and accessibility?

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. Quoting a pp.

i didn’t say who or what type of disability would ‘qualify’. I fully understand the range of disablities and that many are invisible. It is just a definitional thing. If you can queue for a long time then you don’t need the queue designed for people who can’t queue for a long time.

The accessibility queue was definitely intended for those who would find longer queues difficult/impossible for whatever reason, physical or otherwise

But that isn’t what the government website says at all. In fact, mobility issues is last in the list. Eg, if you are D/deaf, you use the accessibility queue.

""But I was prepared to be questioned and asked for proof and wouldn't have been annoyed in the slightest""

Because I being a fairly reasonable person, understand that the special nature of the situation would have demanded it.

Before I had proof, I accepted that I wouldn't be able to get into other events with subsidised fees, theme parks, gallery exhibitions, etc or subsidised travel fares etc without it. I sucked it up.

It was one of the things that motivated me personally to go through the pain of getting official proof. But I went through over 10 years of none at all.

It would have been fairer to implement some checking yesterday, even if a few genuine people were disappointed, than hundreds being turned away. Again, you're overlooking the huge coincidence of the queue swelling after the other queue was closed.

It was the bit where you said the pint of the accessible queue was for those who can't physically queue for a long time.

I wasn’t questioning your opinion that some ‘proof’ should have been required, although it is arguably very unfair on those who have disabilities, but no ‘proof’. For better or worse, on this occasion no ‘proof’ was required.

What I was taking issue with was you asserting that sometimes people unjustifiably assume that you’re blagging for your own benefit, only then to make the same unjustifiable assumption yourself with regard to other people! How on earth could you know?

You’re making your assumptions with precisely the same information as people have at their disposal when judging you (i.e. none).

Oh I see. Well I linguistically walked into that one.

However I'm making assumptions (more deductions) on the basis of being there.

Many people swelled the queue at the point that the other queue was paused. People blatantly queue jumped right in front of me. Police had to remove them.

Some people who were in the queue asked the stewards if the main queue was reopening and was told it likely would be in a few hours and headed off there. Asking travel directions to southwark park.

The man I mentioned earlier who kept evading questions by pretending he didn't speak English started pointing to another lady behind me and suggesting he knew her when angrily confronted by other people in the queue. When the steward asked her who he was, she said I have no idea who he is! He still got in though, so I give him 10/10 for his personal strategy. Could he have a disability? Well I guess he could, but by his evasive behaviour and sudden ability to speak a previously unknown language fluently I wouldn't bet 50p on it. He took the space of someone else.

A couple turned up and got annoyed when not let in the front. They had left the 'queue to get in the long queue' at SP, after a few hours standing and made their way to the disabled access queue because someone told them to 'try it' and then were annoyed that it was closed.

They complained that they could have stayed where they were. Admittedly perhaps one of them had a disability of some sort and I'm making broad stroke assumptions. They left.

We all bonded in the queue as the hours went by. It wasn't only me who felt they saw chancers as they saw it to put it nicely.

I sincerely hope it's not happening today.

But I do get your point.

I work in an industry where disabled people are given discounts. You are not allowed to ask for proof, but for every 10 genuinely disabled people , there are half as many trying it on, realising that £50 off a ticket price for two people is worth lying/stretching the truth for. Accessible seats in venues are not a reward for being disabled. They are so everybody should have an opportunity to purchase a seat at a lower price, if they are unable to climb the steps to a lower priced seat.
I have heard it all. ‘My mum has broken her wrist, so she is disabled’ ‘my dad has twisted his ankle’ ‘ I suffer from migraines’ ‘I suffer from bad period pains’. I have heard it all. People taking the piss because they know you can’t ask for proof.
I am disabled, and have got a nimbus card, and increasingly so, entertainment venues are asking to see Nimbus cards (you have to supply medical proof to get one). Hopefully this weed out the chancers who think it is OK to lie about your health to get a couple of cheap tickets.

The number of people who have been allowed step free access timed slots by virtue of having a pushchair/prams is not good. There was someone boasting on a local forum how her, partner and 3 kids got in the accessible queue for easy entry into the hall. No disabilities, she was telling it as a ‘tip’ to just say to the kiosk that you need step free access. There’s probably hundreds like her spreading the word…

I see it all the time. I was approaching the disabled loo the other day, using my 2 sticks, and a woman with a baby in a pram barged in front of me and said ‘oh I’ll only be 5 minutes’. She was over 10 minutes. Happens all the time. So many people have so little respect.

Does anyone know what the accessibility queue is like now. Is it worth going up?

If the two different queues had just one colour wristband each which stated ‘not transferable to any other queue lots of vulnerable people would not have missed out. The pushing in by selfish particles would never have been allowed to happen.But I do think that some form of ID even if it’s repeat prescription forms ,blue badges exemption certificates, should have been a requirement.
Its a pity that in all the years that has gone(we are told) into the preparation of the Queen’s funeral, so little attention was given to the queues and how this would impact on certain people.It’s truly distressing to read that people were turned away and in tears, in some aspects this so called ‘planning’ has been an utter mess.

I went up at about 2pm and the disability queue was snaking all round to get to the kiosk. DS said he didn’t want to queue for that long so we went to look at the flowers at In the park but queues for that too all the way down Buckingham Gate. In the end, we had a walk up part of the Mall and saw the Commonwealth flags in Horse Guards Road which he was happy with.

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0rTXfQAYpdSLcUVA9jh7kVQHfLEetMdMEDYPRVjUXgutWgWW8J8aLzAcVw1UB7PFNl&id=100064709434925

Just announced that the accessible queue is now closed as all time slots until monday when Lying in state closes have been allocated. I dont know anymore than this but sharing for anyobe thinking of going.

twitter.com/DCMS/status/1571160382726717440?cxt=HHwWgIC-meaC8c0rAAAA

We wouldn't have been able to manage the accessible queue, ironically. Should have been app based!

Yet the main queue is still going apparently.

The stewards and volunteers are absolutely brilliant. No fault with any of them. But yesterday I got a real flavour of how disabled people are overlooked.

For one thing: Whilst there was tons of coverage on the main queue, there wasn't one reporter or journalist on the disabled queue.

So when some vulnerable people were being turned back after making huge effort to be there, there was no coverage.

The journos were all busy gathering fluffy happy stories from the main queue, taking non-disabled people's personal experiences, eulogising about David Beckham, and sharing witty anecdotes about the length of the queue and the peculiar Britishness of queueing.

But no one came to ask for the experiences and stories of those in the Disabled Queue, as if the people there couldn't be interesting and have stories to tell and hadn't made huge effort and overcome substantial challenges to get there and queue.

There were Samaritans, and faith leaders at the able bodied queue (I wasn't there, I'm going by media coverage) I didn't see any of those at the disabled queue. If someone saw one correct me as I'd like to be wrong. Anyone see the irony in there likely being a good possibility of people with terminal illness, mental health issues etc in the DQ and yet, no one from these support groups being there? As well as not having anything interesting to share, disabled people are not religious I discovered. I didn't see sign interpreters either. But it's possible some of the volunteers have that skill so I could be wrong.

No hot drinks were being distributed the entire time queueing for a slot. Maybe it was better today and I caveat, maybe this was happening earlier I joined after the controversial cut off point. However on other threads on MN they were giving those out on the main queue. But people in WC were understandably getting a bit nippy with the thames air.

The staff were not to blame. Again, they were all wonderful. Contradictorily, what was done was very well done. It's the fine detail that appeared to be missing. As if someone didn't really give it the same focus.

@DysonSphere
I think it was the fact that the accessible queue was featured on BBC Radio 4 that led to a lot more people knowing about it, and that queue becoming swamped.

I think that's really bad😥. I know it has different logistics but thousands more will join the main queue. Disgraceful really.

@WildfellAnne Yes that's likely what prompted the rush as well as the long queue closing.

Moan moan moan. Nobody has more of a right than anybody else to see the Queen lying in state! People are so entitled nowadays.

Medicines, proof of doctors appointments, prescription requests I have none of these things unless I go back about 18 years in my medical history.

I hope karma gets anyone who used the accessible queue who didn't need it. Its sick.