Are people just less tolerant of disability accessibility now ?

[Takemeback02]

I have been raising a disabled child 11 years now and the first 5 ish years I never really dealt with many issues regarding to the assistance she received or disability access.
the last 5 years has been a real struggle. Usually transport / theme parks etc

most recently 6 of us went on holiday abroad to a European destination, 2 disabled children who require a lot of extra care with very high medical needs and equipment. We always check the hotels first and we speak to before choosing one that works for us. We picked a hotel that offered reserved disabled Sun beds. We arrived and they offered us 6 ( same as whole party ) but we told them we only needed 3. We chose ones away from the kids sections and to the side of the main pool,
they were reserved everyday. They placed disabled badge stickers on the beds for the duration of our stay. I reckon there
was 3 days out of 10 where we didn’t have an issue with someone taking them. Most would move on once asked but have a little moan as they did it and a few who got obviously very upset.

one of the days was a nightmare, we were at the pool bar and physically saw a women tair off the disabled badge sticker and throw it on the ground. I put it back on before going to get the kids
changed and when I got back lady was on bed and had removed the sticker again and lobbed it on the floor.

I just feel the last few years there is an obvious difference in peopls
Tolerance for accessibility or has it always been this way ?

don’t get me wrong I know from the past actual accessibility had got far better but it just feels like it annoys people now.

The rules for BB vary from LA to LA- that isn’t the case everywhere.

Also, disabled people haven’t been given an advantage in your example;

if you have to have been having problems for 3 years to get a badge, then by the time disabled people have been given a BB they have struggled for 3 years before they were helped- twice as long as the injured or ill people in your example, who are better after 18 months. Disabled people don’t get better.

Also, an injury or illness doesn’t necessarily meet the criteria of ‘disability’ so doesn’t have the same legal protections.

Mine took 10 days.

Blue badges aren't a magic wand.

I've just recounted in another thread 2 wasted journeys with a friend- 50 miles round trip - because when we got there, there really was nowhere to park. There are only so many times you can drive around an unknown location before the anxiety starts to kick in.

Where is all this free BB parking anyway?

In my town ALL parking is free(because there is bugger all here) - but in the next town where you go to the doctor/gp/shopping etc BB parking costs the same as all other parking.

I travel a fair bit and can only recall not paying for parking once in the last few years.

There is a difference between equity and equality.

I have lived in a couple of areas that went from free to charged BB parking. In both cases the abuse dropped quite markedly.

The best example is a privately run car park for a nearby hospital. They went from free BB parking (which was about 25% of the total spaces) to having to go to a booth with the real BB (no copies) to get a card. There are cameras on the exit to check the person the BB applies for is actually in the car.

Apart from the queues for a few days where cars suddenly had to pay, the abuse has dropped and there is always free space now.

It is entirely possible to easily police BB parking, if the political will is there. So in cases where it's badly managed, it's because there is fuck all interest in it. And yes, I have made that point in that manner. No point being old otherwise.

I’ve never known it either- we can get me, ds and my DW through because both me and DS are ND and physically disabled- we make do with one carer between us.

No where we go allows multiple adults through with one disabled child unless the the child meets very strict criteria for needing 2x carers.

If you read the history the example I was giving was airport security…not my idea of a family day out but each to their own.

I missed that, I was in theme parks in my head.

I imagine it’s easier for airport staff to keep parties together than deal with a load of disabled people separated from the people they need to be with.

Either way, looking at someone disabled, seeing something that makes their experience of life slightly more equitable with able bodied people, feeling jealous and wanting to take it away because ‘it’s not faiiiiiiiiir’ isn’t indicative of a decent human.

If DS was split from his travelling party when going through customs that would throw him completely - he would panic that they would be left behind or that there would be a problem.

he also needs at least one person either side of the security scanners in order to get him through.

much easier to keep the whole party together

Many counties don’t keep families together and we were separated from DS and DH as he was fast tracked. DD and I quite enjoyed the time together in the queue having a quiet chat but DS was distressed by it.and DH had a rough time … that was Cancun it’s very strict there.

I think that to make many places truly accessible extended hours or twilight visits would be good. These theme parks think that are accessible but they are not really as they are just not accessible for many people due to the thousands of people that are there. A 2 hour quiet session would be really good.

I accept that my son will never again go to a theme park or ever go to a football match - it just can’t happen. The same goes with large concerts these things just can’t be accessible so the few occasions we can use the adaptations they make eg free companion etc is great

until we had a personal assistant for him our lives were a load of places we could never go. It’s been great this year to be able to go to concerts with DH - I have felt imprisoned for years.

I would love 2 premier football clubs to do a match for disabled kids / adults not with no shouting, roaring and screaming etc and fewer numbers. It would be truly amazing for some kids / young adults to have the expedience of that. It will never happen. The trouble is that even people who could go in normal times ( in the disability access area ) would also want tickets.

Sadly football clubs think that by having a dedicated area it makes them accessible - for some disabilities and not others even with ear plugs/ noise cancelling etc.

I wish that the Tower of London and places like that did quiet visit hours.

I agreed and not must for people with ASD/sensory issues etc

I took my children to the Roman baths in my wheelchair and I saw was other people's bums. Noone seemed to want to let me through to have a closer look. The building had lifts, accessible toilets etc but it was all meaningless because the place was so busy.

I wish i had the money and perks non disabled people think I get

You don't need to have been having the problem for 3 years at all

I was at the bar because that’s where you get drinks from- are you expecting people to not drink in the heat all day because they have a sun bed ? Or just the disabled ones ?

if was a need not a want - we did not care where the sunbeds were located as long as we had space to take DD back to who has Mutiple life saving tubes.

It's random but definitely getting less and less free bb parking. I think they've decided the chore of going to thr machine isn't a thing anymore as you can pay by phone

Show off lol 🤪😂

You don’t where I am, but I couldn’t be bothered to check every LA so just took her word about her area.

preens 😀

Thank you for your reply. It was because you said somebody removed the stickers while you were at the bar, so I thought they were unattended.

OMG! This is absolutely DISGUSTING! However, I'm not surprised cabin crew did nothing, as having gone on a flight with Ryanair a while back, (I am disabled), when boarding I was told by a member of the cabin crew, that I must take the window seat. I asked her why, and she looked rather sheepish. I quickly cottoned on, and said 'Oh, I get it, it's because I'm disabled, and you think I might slow others down if we had to get out, but it's OK for me to die, is that it? Very shamefaced, she admitted that that was basically the case! Imagine how THAT made me feel!

The disability has to be expected to last at least 3 years. Not that someone has struggled for 3 years previous

I know that's the rules in Essex.

I've never heard if a 3 year rule-rhe badge is awarded for 3 years, they might want the condition to be likely to last fir those 3 years, but you don't have to be disabled for 3 years to get one. The fact it's a condition that you can or will recover from will like mean it won't qualify.

Why exactly do we have to make sure YOU agree that certain people need to not q. If you don't understand that's on you. Do some research to learn about all the different was nd can affect people. But this we I could understand bit if this, or my dc couldn't manage that is just a load of waffle at this point. You don't understand how my son could cope with being in a theme park, but is unable to q for a long time-so in that case I'm playing the system because it just doesn't make sense to you? Do you hear yourself?