Wheelchair Accessibility

[Lazydaisy]

Anyone find that it is often the very old and frail who are the people who offer to help?

A few years ago, my Dad saw a lady struggling with getting her wheelchair bound caree onto a pavement(car parked over the lowered kerb), and Dad offered to help. He was most upset when they turned him down. He didn't realise, poor man, that he was so very frail, he looked as though a puff of wind would knock him down, and he wouldn't have been strong enough to help.

That has made me look at who helps and offers assistance, and it is usually the very young, or the very old. People of about 20-70 look the other way, on the whole.

[colinb]

very true that is. especially the people our won age just look away and never offer help. tho it is strangely the opposite around here when parking in disabled bays. we are always getting glares and looks from the older people (who it seems here at least get handed a blue badge by council for their 65th birthday), and i find most often when we have to use one particular car park which has you parking nose to tail, that despite the notice on the back of car asking for 6ft space to be left to allow the scooter or chair to be loaded/unloaded on the hoist. it is always without fail, an older person who has come to 6 inches off the back bumper, leaving me and especially my wife if she is on her own in a real state.

[no1mum]

I noticed the same problems over 10 years ago when taking my ex husbands Nan out in her wheelchair.
Is there any way we can set up a petition to the head offices of the major supermarkets and stores and perhaps get national newspapers involved? I'm sure if enough people kick up a stink something could be done.

[Pete the Paint]

Splendid Charles, He's the man Anthony Steen MP for Totnes and old enough to know better!!!
24yrs MP for South Devon. "Mr Steen remains with us in all his multi-faceted glory, an ornament to the commons who conceals a deceptively shrewd mind behind an endearing battiness." The Today Program, Radio 4, 26th Feb 2004

Pete

[charles47]

But not, it appears, shrewd enough to keep his trap shut when caught out!

[BigRob]

The disabled bay thing is a real pain, especially at hospitals. I've been round most of the south now, Southampton, QA in portsmouth, Odstock in Salsibury etc and in everyone at least half if not all the disabled bays by the entrances have been full of cars with big stickers saying "Hospital Staff" or "Landscaping Department". They are not disabled, just to lazy to drive round to the staff carpark.

The shops thing is a real bugbear as well. my wife brought a shoprider of eBay, absoloute bargain for £80 and she was really excited about using it. We went christmas shopping in debenhams and it was so tightly packed with stock piled in the middle of the aisles that she got stuck comming out of the lift and demoslihed the display. The staff started shouting and screaming until they suddenly relaised she was disabled at which point they shut up, but she wont go shopping with a scooter now. Its hard enough getting a manual or powerchair round the place.