Carers ticket - is it reasonable

[Rechargedfor2024]

my friend and I are taking both our children on a bunch of activities. There is 3 disabled children in the group. We applied for nimbus / access cards as one attraction only use these as form of proof.
when they came
1 child has plus 2 in the carers symbol
and the others didn’t get the symbol at all.
I then read up about it and had seen that many parents had said the same and it’s not always automatic that you will get a carers symbol especially in children.
there has been some negative comments about this online from what we could read.
it seemed like it was more younger children not getting them.
my friend said maybe it’s because say a 3 year old would beee to be supervised at all times regardless of disability and that so it doesn’t fill under prevents one attending because of disability.
do you think this is reasonable ?

If the children are young then it would be the parents taking them anyway like your friend said. In that instance then I am see why you wouldn’t get a free carers pass.

Surely it depends on the needs/dependency and age of the child?

@Savedpassword I am guessing it’s whether or not an additional adult would be required. So for instance If a child could be taken by one adult then doesn’t qualify but if need 2 then does ? Suppose it will hit a lot people thought because previously or places that haven’t moved over to nimbus just require Proof like a standard DLA letter or carers letter so it’s never mattered before.

I have one. There is a section on the online form about needing a carer where you have to specifically put if they need one. So someone didn't put enough information on the form about the child's needs. Having that means you get a free ticket as most places offer a carers ticket, so the one that has it should get in for free.

Norawaves even putting that Info doesn’t mean you will get it there is a thing on it about the requirements and why you may not see a carers Symbol. There is comments about it and how many feel upset about it. Nimbus decide on the information provided whether you get the symbol or not.

Oh I see. My childs autistic and I've always had it on his card so thought it was an easy process.

I have heard of this scheme so searched online and they do explain about the carers symbol part https://knowledge.accesscard.online/faqs/are-there-age-limits-to-the-card

It seems really interesting, on one hand great that you don't have to provide personal info like DLA awards to places like Legoland for access alterations but I can see that application for the nimbus itself is very detailed and possibly intrusive they don't for example accept GP letters as these have been faked excessively in past apparently.

It makes sense. For younger children you'd only get it if they would require a carer above the one adult that would be expected anyway due to their age. Perfectly reasonable.

It seems reasonable to me. A 3 year old will always require an adult with them.

What is the attraction?

I would actually argue that you should not have to pay for a card to prove anything re disability that you can do for free.

However the choice to offer free entry is just that, a choice. I think.

I would be interested to find out the legal standing of venues insisting people pay for these cards. I guess for a free carer ticket it's probably fine but in any other situation re the disabled person themselves I don't think it is ok for a business to dictate people have to buy a card to prove a disability

I agree with others. It entirely depends on the age of the child and the disability.

@premiur are you sure you have to pay for the card? Nimbus (who run the access card scheme) operates the scheme for some venues/organisations such as companion tickets at some theatres who use ATG tickets and a ride access pass at Merlin attractions (for carer’s tickets there some other forms of evidence are accepted other than via Nimbus), but you don’t have to pay for the full access card. You do have to complete the free application via Nimbus beforehand.

Whether people, including DC, get a +1 or +2 depends on their needs. Some young DC do get it.

The only place I’ve needed a nimbus card is for the Merlin group this year. Even that’s not needed for entry for a free carers ticket but for the ride access pass. Also it’s free as it’s not the full card.

Even though in general all children need an adult with them the free carers ticket made a difference as to whether I booked or not. Due to sensory overload etc we sometimes had to leave places soon after arriving. Not paying full price often meant it was worth the risk of not making the full use of a ticket.

The website explains each symbol https://www.accesscard.online/how-it-works/

In the information about the +1 carers symbol it states:

This symbol is awarded to people for whom it would be significantly difficult to access services without support from another person.

You must be able to show that the support you need is substantial, significant or frequent, and directly related to your needs as a disabled person, and that without extra support you would receive a lesser service. It may mean an essential companion ticket, or it may mean a provider will offer additional support from their own staff. The support needed must exceed what could be reasonably expected of family/friends already accompanying you, and must be due to disability-related needs.

For children, we do not question that your child may need a certain amount of support when out and about, but we are unlikely to award the +1 symbol where they would already be in direct supervision and guidance by a parent or other family member.

So yes, it sounds like it wouldn’t be awarded for a young child who was at an age where children would typically be supported by parents anyway, assuming the support needs weren’t hugely above and beyond what a single parent were able to manage. I would hope there are situations where a child can be offered the symbol though, for example if the child had very complex medical needs or displayed a high level of challenging behaviour where they might require the support of two people or very close/ intensive support at all times.

The whole nimbus card system doesn’t sit right with me. It’s adding another level of problems (and cost!) into trips out.

thankfully the places we visit don’t insist on it and use their own policy which is generally at most proof DLA/blue badge

@MolkosTeenageAngst yes my DD got the symbol, DSS and friends DS did not.

DSS and DS have autism
DD has complex medical needs / wheelchair / feeding tubes etc.

Annoying but makes sense TBH

Oh I juts assumed OP meant the full application and card. Maybe not.

@premiur I think the OP does mean she paid for the full access card, I was responding to your points about you shouldn’t have to pay for something to prove disability and venues insisting people pay.

How many DC under about 12 years would be able to go to an attraction without a parent taking them anyway?

@Ferraria it's not just about supervision needs........it's about how much that child is able to access and how long for. Often children with disabilities don't get the same 'value for money' out of these places as other children.

Soft play areas etc may he wholly unaccessible, they may not be able to manage staying there as long and will leave after a couple of hours whilst other kids can manage the full day. Why should they pay the same when they're only getting a quarter of an experience ? I mean all attractions should he fully accessible and enjoyable for all, but let's face it that isn't likely to happen any time soon. So the small advantage of free access for carers is fair.

But if they only accept the card which OP had to pay for, which I was pondering?

Maybe it's ok I don't really know but I do object to disabled people have to pay for things they don't need just to satisfy a greedy business.

But lots of those under 12s won't need 1:1 or even 1:2 supervision. My small person will always need someone who is trained in his care, he may only be a preschooler now but there are very few people who could provided his care so if he gets invited out with a friend he can't just go with Jack/Fred/Beryl's mum/dad I (or another trained person) have to go too.

We got +1 for one of our children but not for the other- they both have EHCPs, blue badges etc. Tbf the younger one is more severely impacted so in that sense it is right. We find the queue symbol the most significant as it means both can have the queue jumper type of passes which is a game changer at theme parks.

No it's an awful money making scheme. Saying you need a parent anyway is irrelevant if you child needs 1-1 care and you have another child/children so you must take two adults. Sending such personal medical information when you have already jumped through dla hoops is unacceptable.