AIBU to think I shouldn't have visited the Science Museum in a wheelchair?

[Hadaweenamechange]

Interested to know if I made a bad choice and need to consider more carefully where I visit in future?

I'm a wheelchair user, using a smallish, lightweight carbon-fibre power chair in the scenario described here. I visited the Science Museum in London yesterday with my DH. He had to be in London fairly early in the morning and then again later in the evening, with around 9 hours to spare in between. As it was a bank holiday, we arranged for me to go with him so we could spend the day together, while we had the rare chance of a few hours off at the same time.

Despite having lived in London for many, many years (we no longer do), neither of us had ever been to the Science Museum, so we decided to visit yesterday.

My, what a mistake! First of all, I realise it was a bank holiday, and I know the museum's target audience is likely to be families with children, so maybe going yesterday wasn't the smartest idea, but I wasn't prepared for just how difficult it was to navigate.

In the space of 3 hours:

• I clipped the heels of at least 5 people with the front of my chair (adults and kids), because, despite my best efforts to maintain a generous distance between me and anyone in front of me, I can't stop as quickly as someone on foot, and if you stop abruptly, I can't always stop in time

• As a result of the above, I was glared at, tutted at, stared at and on one occasion, I was pretty sure I was sworn at - it wasn't in English, but I felt the wrath in whatever the language was!

• On 3 separate occasions, I was careered into at considerable speed by over-exuberant, out-of-control children. One ran straight into me with such force that he literally landed face down on my lap. One hit his shin on my footplate, and the third one hurtled round a blind bend and ricocheted off the side of my chair. To give them credit, the accompanying adults of two of them were apologetic, but the parent/guardian of the one who hit his leg actually wanted me to go with them to find a member of staff so they could officially report it as an incident and have it recorded in the accident book, 'just in case'. Just in case of what, I'm not sure, as there was no visible mark or bleeding. The same adult also suggested that it wasn't the most ideal place to be in a wheelchair with so many children around.

• If you've visited, you'll know the museum is laid out over 4 floors. There are many sets of stairs scattered around and plenty of lifts, all of which have signs indicating that priority should be given to the elderly, pushchairs, and the less able. I was really surprised by the queues for the lifts whenever we needed to use them, and I'd guess that around 90% of those waiting were families with older children or tweens, with no obvious impediments. Not once did anyone offer to let waiting pushchair owners go in front of them, and the force with which some of the children were pushed towards the lift doors by their adults, as the doors opened, was not pretty to watch. I actually don't give a rat's bum how long I wait for a lift, after all, I'm sitting down. But to encourage your older children to push in front of parents with toddlers and pushchairs is really shitty imo.

It made for a not-very-pleasant few hours, and I felt a bit sad and crap afterwards. What do you think, wise MN'ers? Do I need to pick my venue with more care next time, or should these places be available for all to enjoy without barriers? Granted, it's been a fair few years since I owned children who required parental supervision, but I honestly don't recall ever letting our DC run rampant the way some of them were yesterday.

I'd tell anyone who asked about going to popular, free, world famous London museums on a not particularly sunny BH that it was going to be like something out of Hades.I'm not in a wheelchair, but do have an ND child so obviously that's a different complexity to navigate, and wouldn't go anywhere near it under those circumstances. We did go to the Science Museum fairly recently during school holidays and found the 3-6pm slot pleasantly doable though.

Telling you that you shouldn't have been there cos of your wheelchair is absolutely 100% fucking unacceptable.

There is no consideration these days for anybody who is regarded as old or slow. It is not just kids, but many 30 to 40 year olds as well. Hope they regret their behaviour when they get older. It is frustrating when you can't go faster or even get somewhere at all. It is symptomatic of the selfish attitude in Britain that has become much more noticeable since covid, is it because of their parent's or just the general malaise that has become the norm in this country?

I was there recently!!!!
And I actually spoke up for a young adult girl in a wheelchair she must have been 17 with her friends people pushing for lift able bodied people !!
I told them to move aside and let her in wheelchair users are what the lifts are for !!
People looked embarrassed she looked happy ! And I would do the same again people should be embarrassed lazy c😡😡nts !
If you have no struggles using the stairs use them !
I do have arthritis and struggle but I still use the stairs until I can't !
Op I am so sorry about your day we are living in a world where alot of people are selfish and entitled and only out for themselves and parents are becoming lazy letting their kids run riot !

I think the parent who made the comment about it being an unsuitable place for a wheelchair is incredibly rude and ignorant. A perfect example of ableism in our society. Wheelchair users have as much right to be there as anyone else.

The rest of us need to do a better job of being mindful of who is in the the vicinity of our energetic toddlers and younger children. People treat the Science Museum like it's a playground and it's not. It's an attraction which can be heaving so letting small kids run riot is asking for trouble.

Those lifts are to prioritise people in wheelchairs or people with mobility problems!!

Your wheelchair is not the problem. People not being observant and considerate is.

I’m also a wheelchair user. Walk in front and cut me up, you will get clipped. That’s just the way it is. I’m a decent chair driver too but people don’t seem to see us at all too buys wrapped up in their own little world. Children need controlling too, it’s a museum not a play park - let them run around at the park then do the museum people. I have 3 kids and one cooking I’m a not a child hating monster but the free for all of feral children brothers me.

Absolutely people on foot should give way if physically able, but dragging a child in a pushchair up and down several flights of stairs when there is a lift is just martyrdom (and dangerous)

This is what happens when parents don't think they need to teach their kids to watch where they go, tell them off if they are running in a public place, tell them to apologise if they hit someone.

It is one of the main reasons why I avoid public places that attract kids. I get frustrated at how unaware kids are. Worse are their parents who actually believe the adult is systematically in the wrong if their kid gets hurt, or have a go at you if you dare say something to the child.

I'm really sorry this was your experience, sadly, that's the reality of public life in 2026.

Going anywhere like that on a bank holiday is always a mistake if you're a wheelchair user. You have to be really outspoken with a people in a busy environment and ignore the catty/snide looks.

Who are these able bodied people using the lifts? Why? The stairs aren't that long between floors? How lazy are some people?

It does sound horrendous for you.

I am not a wheelchair user. I do avoid going to places on a bank holiday and out of school time that is popular with families and children for similar reasons you encountered, I,e, thoughtless parents, crowds, people too close to me, not enjoying myself etc.

However it doesn't sound like the Science museum is thoughtful laid out for wheel chair users from what posters are saying. I haven't been so cant comment on that but between that and it being crowded with children its sounds awful.

With regard to the lifts, not all disabilities are visible. If I attempted 4 flights of stairs, I too would be face down in your lap if I reached the top floor.

I started to think a few years ago that the Free Museums werent actually a good idea. Yes, they improved (financial) assessibility but have ked to the museums becoming tired, understaffed and over busy (plus underappreciated). Even a £5 fee (with family discounts, snd maybe a UC discount) would massively improve them.

Yes, that's a fair point. I'm not saying everyone queuing had an invisible disability, but neither OP nor anyone in this thread is qualified to assess how many did and who they were.

As an autistic adult, this is why I deliberately avoid going basically anywhere on bank holidays, school holidays or weekends. I cannot cope with the crowds, level of noise, selfishness, inconsiderate behaviour, poor parenting and general shitty behaviour that our society has become. People with disabilities or just anyone that’s different really, shouldn’t have to curtail their lives because of other people’s poor behaviour but….such is life. Nobody really cares about other people outside their little bubble.

YABU for thinking you shouldn't have visited! Some people are so selfish and entitled these days, don't let it put you off.

Of course you shouldn’t curtail where you go and when. Yes, children get excited but the problem is parents seem to not want to control their children nor teach them to be more aware of people especially wheelchair users etc.

Did you actually read the end of my post? Clearly not. 🙄
Glad you edited your post, because ‘people like me’ are really not the problem in today’s world 🙄

Exactly this. But people are only understanding towards visible disabilities 😞😡

What's that saying? "You're not in traffic, you are the traffic"

The amount of seemingly pleasant responses hiding ableism on this thread is staggering. Go on a wet Wednesday... Sorry but it's your fault because you bumped someone who stopped dead with zero situational awareness... Well I have a pram so it's just as bad...

No no no. Disabled people are equal and should be welcome anywhere that anyone else is also welcome, at any time. Why exactly should we take the scrapings, hide ourselves away for the good of the norms, creep about to places only on the wet Wednesdays?

If we have to have situational awareness turned up to 100, why doesn't anyone else around us? They have less barriers to moving through spaces, the onus is on them too.

And prams. Obviously they are a nightmare in a busy city. But they can be folded, babies can be carried etc. and it's for a few years at most. A lot of disabled people are living this way every single day of their life, often getting worse too, and it is absolutely enough to grind you down, so it's comparing apples and oranges to link it with having a pram.

I'll say it again, inclusion and accessibility are different things, and disabled people need and deserve them both. Wherever possible. Whenever possible.

I don’t understand what point you’re trying to make. Can you elaborate please?

What I meant was, if a place is busy, everyone there is contributing to that busyness, not just the people that aren't you. And it's probably not just that everyone else is an inconsiderate arsehole, it's the nature of crowds.

I appreciate that people have different tolerances for crowded places (I am NT but also avoid where I can).

Oh I see. Yes. Agreed. Everyone there contributes to the busyness….hence why I don’t go anywhere to end up as part of that.