To feel so overwhelmingly sad at the lack of ramps in UK shops and restaurants

[2024namechanger]

Inspired by the other threat (but not TAAT) my teen is a fairly recent full time wheelchair user. On holiday abroad we visited hill towns and the entrance to every tiny shop and kiosk had a ramp. Sometimes the shops were too small to get around once in, and sometimes there was a step within the shop, however my teen could always get in, so felt part of things.

The ease of Europe has really made me look at our nation in a different way. In our town there is one cafe which is accessible - it’s a former chain. Every other cafe has a high step. Almost every shop has a high step. And hairdressers, and nail salons. Meaning that our local town (quaint, no chains) is closed to her and she can’t get simple things like her mono brow waxed.

This isn’t about ‘understanding that our nation is old’ or disabled users needing to understand that they have to call ahead. It is about having a polarised society and it isn’t right. It could be easily addressed with a ramp to every shop. This is cheap to achieve, and is a reasonable adjustment.

Beaches in the UK are inaccessible - there are (I think) 5 accessible beaches. We would have to travel 3 hours to get to an accessible beach-two hours further. Also if you Google accessible beaches in the UK, so many beaches advertise themselves as accessible, but actually they mean step free access to the top of the sand. No means of getting close to the shore so they can sit on the sand with the rest of their family, or actually get in the sea. In France and Spain accessible beaches they are everywhere, and they mean accessible; boarded walks and beach buggies so a wheelchair user can actually get in the sea. And pretty much every walk in nature is inaccessible too. That’s nature, it’s one of those things, but I think it’s important to consider how small the world of a wheelchair user is - when you take away places which could accommodate them easily, they really have nothing left. Just the homes of friends who don’t have townhouses. Or a step. Yes you guessed it, we always host now.

And if you want to roll back even further, our pavements are a nightmare. Massive lack of dropped kerbs (I mean properly dropped. Round here they are lowered but not dropped) and the camber means it’s insanely difficult to push a teen/adult on a wheelchair. Impossible to self propel. Crossings are dangerous - even those designed to be accessible! Not every wheelchair user can travel in a car, not every wheelchair user needs a carer.

So to those posters who thought the other poster should just be calling ahead and ensuring restaurants are accessible - why is the default inaccessibility? Why can’t wheelchair users enjoy a carefree day shopping and then dropping into a nearby cafe for a drink or lunch when they tire? Why do wheelchair users have to awkwardly enquire whether there is a ramp?

Hopefully this hasn’t come across as a rant. I don’t mean it to be. I just wanted to share some of my observations as newly into the world of disability, in the hope that it makes some able bodied people think.

If lack of a dropped kerb means getting somewhere in a wheelchair is impossible (rather than just a 200m diversion), I would suggest getting in touch with your local council member. They tend to me more helpful when there is an election coming up.

Yes, I think these designers/planners need to spend the day with various disabled people to understand the challenges.

It is shameful how we treat disabled people in this country. Most of what is needed is a relatively easy fix. I agree with - this is where resources should be going. Stuff the rainbow pavements and workshops and focus on equitability and inclusion.

Our local hospital has actually taken out half the drop-off parking spaces outside the building and replaced them with a rainbow pavement. There are already not enough disabled spaces in the car park, so most people use the drop off spaces with wheelchairs. You would have thought a hospital of all places, would have prioritised disabled patients. (I have a disabled teen dd, who was using a wheelchair).

Even when there is enough disabled parking at the hospital people are quick to abuse it. In theory Alder Hey have loads. In reality when you walk along the row generally less than 50% actually have badges displayed.

and on the disabled parking people I wish places would stop replacing disabled parking with electric charging spots without adding more disabled spaces in!

I’ll add to my gripe above about hospitals because they are worse in my experience for disabled children who are unable to weight-bear. The two my child has to attend - Great Ormond Street Hospital I’ve had to change my daughter in a window ledge because the toilets are not accessible in any sense. She’s too big now for the window ledge so it’s either I change her in the appointment on the examination table or as is so often the case on the pissy toilet floor (then my back aches for hours) - the only accessible toilet is in the restaurant in a separate building which isn’t great if she does a poo 5 minutes before her appointment.
Our local hospital has lots of modernisation - a terrible car park with the best spaces and a handful of disabled spots and the staff have no idea whether there’s a changing facility where she can lie to be changed. I’ve been directed to a baby change facility - my daughter is 8 and is as tall as most 11 year olds. They sometimes smirk and tell me the disabled toilets are extra wide - sure but what can I do in there other than wheel her around. She can’t stand or sit on a toilet,
I feel so sad for her being in this world where she’s unable to fend for herself and I’m getting older

Sorry I meant tiniest spaces not best!

Totally sympathise. One of my pet hates is when somewhere says it has accessible paths, and it's gravel. I bloomin hate gravel.

I always think that if the SS Great Britain, a 200 year old boat in Bristol, can do it (it's amazing) then anywhere can. Especially with little things like portable ramps for shops.

Whereabouts in the country are you? I totally understand about beaches, it's an absolute nightmare. However this summer we went to Studland Beach in Dorset and it was amazing...a massive disabled car park, ramps everywhere, a changing places toilet, and free use of a beach wheelchair (if she can transfer), plus a nice flat sandy beach with close access to the water. Loved it.

Some really great groups to join on Facebook:
Disabled Ramblers UK
Accessible Holidays and Day Trips
Accessible, Adapted or Disabled Holiday Lets, Places to Visit and Days Out UK.

There's a guy who's creating a website/app about accessible beaches, can't remember the link but he often posts on one of those groups.

Look up trampers (if she can transfer from her wheelchair) - they're often available at National Trust Places, can't wait til my son is 14 and can use them.

Do you have a radar key? If not, order one online and then you can use the locked disabled toilets out and about.

Also as an aside - the more effort and care that the country puts into accessibility, the better for absolutely everyone.

Most of us will become old and frail at some point.

Accessibility everywhere is great for the economy, as so many more people would be able to shop, go out to eat, the cinema, day trips, it's much better for mental health due to reduction in loneliness etc, better for disabled peoples' physical health as they can get out and about to improve their fitness, reducing burden on the NHS, and creates better access to work.

I agree about hospitals but GOSH has some facilities with changing benches hoists etc. Not everywhere but they certainly have some

As a PP said, our world has become so much smaller.

We’ve been in the system for 23 years. It was easier when we could lift him to change him on toilet floors or lift him in his wheelchair up steps, but that quickly stopped as he grew.

We used to visit northern France frequently and the beach there was brilliant, boardwalk to the sea and always got a disabled parking space.

Here, we’d find somewhere to go, for instance the cinema, then their lift would break and it would take months to repair.

Changing him now when we’re out is almost impossible. ‘Changing places’ are brilliant but have to be maintained. Several years ago, we convinced our local hospital to provide a changing place, when we visited in May their hoist and changing bench were both broken. Despite complaining, the hospital have still not repaired the bench.

Shops don’t have to have lifts etc, then just have to help you with your purchase. We once needed to get a helmet for my son (so he could ride in my bike trailer), because it was upstairs we couldn’t get him up there, they said they could bring a helmet downstairs for him to try, you can imagine how long that experience took.

Even if you can get in places it’s not always plane sailing. We went to church for a friend’s christening, we managed to get the wheelchair in and were all seated when a church person told us we’d have to move as he was a ‘fire hazard’. How rude, we left.

Even places that try to promote disability end up failing. London Zoo used to do a ‘Special Needs Day’, where you only got tickets if you could prove disability. Unfortunately, too many places (aquarium for one) were inaccessible, when we queried it we were told the place was too old to adapt.

It is sad that a minority of people are left out, but with only 3-8% of disabled people in wheelchairs it’s not going to change.

GOSH have 2 Changing Places according to the Changing Places website. I use the map on their website to check before we travel to a new area so I know where I can change my young person

https://www.changing-places.org/find

Under the Equality Act, employers, local authorities, schools, and service providers are required to make reasonable adjustments to remove barriers that may prevent disabled individuals from accessing employment, education, or essential services. I hope that helps - https://www.rapidramp.co.uk/product-news/what-does-dda-stand-for