disabled toilet

Female wheelchair user sitting in front of a sink

Norovirus No Handwashing: Wheelchair User’s Nightmare On Inaccessible Cruise!

Norovirus No Handwashing: Wheelchair User’s Nightmare On Inaccessible Cruise! We saved for two years for our two-week Canary Island Cruise. We were excited leading up to our departure date. Then we find out the ship is plagued with Norovirus. Doing research days before our departure was scary. People were talking about how sick they had been while aboard the ship. Others said that when they tried to cancel their holiday because of the Norovirus. P&O told them they could cancel their holiday but would not be entitled to a refund.

Extra cleaning protocols were in place but P&O were still unable to get on top of the Norovirus. During my research, I discovered that the ship had a deep clean two weeks before our cruise. However, the most shocking part is that P&O had known about this sickness plaguing the ship since November (2023)! As a disabled passenger with medical conditions, I became extremely worried.

My Research

P&O Ventura ship in dock at our port of Madeira

Cruises are advertised as luxury holidays where you are spoilt and looked after. You can visit a different country (nearly) every day. However, this was not my experience on my two-week cruise with P&O aboard their ship Ventura!

Being disabled, we all know how we must book our holidays well in advance. Therefore, we booked our holiday 18 months in advance to secure an accessible cabin. So imagine my disappointment when I found out a few days before our holiday that the ship was rife with Norovirus. I immediately researched to see if this was true and, if so, what P&O was doing about it!

It is reported that P&O Cruises has had norovirus on their Ventura ship since November 2023. In light of this, I was highly concerned that the only effort P&O seemed to be making today was getting staff to do extra cleaning around the ship!

While researching, I also read that the Ventura ship had been deep-cleaned earlier this year and again two weeks before our departure date. None of this seemed to have eliminated the virus.

Previous passengers also complained that when they tried to cancel their holiday because of the virus, P&O Cruises told them they could cancel but would not be entitled to a refund. As we were days from our departure I knew this would not be an option for us either. We had spent over £3,500 for our holiday and did not relish losing our money; therefore, we felt we had to continue with our holiday.

Our Family Accessible Cabin – E302

This was a 4 birth cabin with two single beds and two Pullman beds. Unfortunately, I found several issues with our accessible cabin:

  • The biggest issue was that the wet room flooring was NOT non-slip, making transferring in/out of my wheelchair extremely dangerous.     
  • The sink is too high—It came up past my chest, making it difficult and painful to use as I can not reach past mid-chest level!
  • The vanity area was also too high. Again, making it extremely difficult and painful to use.  I had to take painkillers to ease the pain caused to my back and shoulders.
  • The twin beds were at a height that made it impossible for me to self-transfer from my wheelchair.  My husband had to aid in lifting me into the bed.  This exacerbated the pain I was already experiencing!
  • The TV remote was always left up on the shelf where the TV sat, completely out of reach for a wheelchair user. 
  • The towels supplied were always hung on the grabrails next to and behind the toilet.  Making them out of reach to disabled people with reach a grab disability like me!
  • Shower seat – Trying to reach the poorly placed handrails and transfer onto the shower seat, I almost knocked myself out as I hit my head on the toilet handrail between the shower and toilet. 
  • The toilet roll holder had a flap that needed to be lifted to use. Due to my dexterity, I couldn’t do this.
  • The cabin made terrible noises. It was as if the plastic walls/fixtures, etc., were rubbing together with the swaying of the ship.
  • Our room temperature seemed to reset itself no matter where we set it. When my legs get too cold, they go purple and spasm, I had many painful nights.
The Issues

I am an electric wheelchair user. Had I been in a manual wheelchair, which can have lower seat heights, I would have found using the bathroom sink and vanity area impossible!!

Because the floor was so slippery, I had to have my husband help me use the toilet no matter which toilet I was using on and around the ship. Something I am normally capable of doing independently! Whoever signed these “accessible rooms” rooms off as fit for purpose needs a new job where they have nothing to do with disability access because, to be frank with you, they haven’t got a clue about disability access.  It could have been a severe injury.

The motion of the ship was the worst I have experienced, making our cabin extremely noisy. We reported this to reception but heard no more!

Wetroom on the Ventura ship
Toilet inside accessible cabin

On Board

Disabled Toilets

Disabled toilets are situated around the ship:

  • Deck 5 – Midship
  • Deck 6 – Forward | Midship | Aft
  • Deck 7 – Forward | Aft
  • Deck 15 – Forward | Midship | Aft
  • Deck 16 – Forward | Aft
  • Deck 17 – Aft
  • Deck 18 – Aft

Be careful; again, there is no non-slip flooring. The sink height came up to under my armpits. There is a shroud around the front edge meaning the depth of the sink to the taps/soap made it impossible for me to reach. 

Considering I was on a cruise ship rife with Norovirus, I was mortified that I could not wash my hands after using the public disabled toilets!!  I had no choice but to rely on my hand sanitiser until I was able to wash my hands.

The Ship

Ventura has 4 Pools, 21 Restaurants and bars, 8 Entertainment venues. The ship is 16 years old and looks it. Its decor is dated, and in many places, in need of much TLC! We were very lucky to have been invited to view the Ventura before her maiden voyage.  We loved the automatic doors on accessible cabins, features, games etc.  However, coming on board for an actual holiday, we were shocked at the decline in features, décor, and general grubbiness of the ship.

The food across the ship we found to be very bland and not much viariaty available in any of the restaurants. The shops were fantastically overpriced.  On previous cruises, we have always enjoyed the shops, especially with the special offer events they have.  However, this was not something P&O offered this time round. 

The captain forgot to engage the stabilizers.  I have never encountered a ship to be this unstable.  I was physically sick on the second day, (even with anti-sickness tablets), thankfully the only day, but for the whole holiday I suffered from nausea and a heavy head.  Another reason I will NEVER sail on Ventura again!

Entertainment
Caroline with her husband sitting at a roulette table in a casino

A lot of the time I found the venues to be freezing.  This made for uncomfortable viewing and put me off going to too many shows.  Which is a shame as the shows I did suffer the cold for were fantastic.

I would have to say, the highlight of our evenings on board the ship, was playing in the Casino.  Be warned though, the casino is alongside a bar that spent most of the time showing football.  I refused to play in the casino when football was on. You’re trying to play in the casino with real money, and you have to endure people jumping up and shouting at a tv!!  Who on earth was the brains behind this one? 

A casino next to such a noisy, open-plan venue where kids can run around? In all my cruising experience, I have never known a casino to allow children the freedom to run around.  I have always seen notices on other ship casinos that being a gambling venue, children were only allowed in the casino if it was being used as a thoroughfare to another part of the ship. Obviously, not a concern on the Ventura. 

Salon

On our last formal night, I thought I’d try and cheer myself up with a hair appointment in their salon. What a big mistake that was!! My hair was worse than I went in! I didn’t complain as I couldn’t get back to my cabin quick enough to try and do something with the complete mess that had been made of my hair.  A complete waste of £60!! 

I booked in for a cut and blow dry with a hair style that looked spikey.  My hair looked NOTHING close to the style I wanted, with what he cut off my hair, I would have lost more on a windy day!! The hairdresser (and I use that term loosely) had left a white stringy product still very visible through my hair.  I was more than disgusted. It’s hard to describe what it looked like but imagine a birds nest sat on top of my head and you’ll come close!

Conclusion

My two week Canary island cruise was plagued with the fear of catching norovirus as the company I had booked my £3,500 holiday with did not supply accessible wash basins in their own accessible toilets!

My stress/anxiety went up, my need for the toilet went up, the situation of not being able to wash my hands rises, my exposure to Norovirus increases – My stress/anxiety went up, my need for the toilet went up, the situation of not being able to wash my hands rises, my exposure to Norovirus increases – My stress/anxiety went up, my need for the toilet went up my need for the toilet goes up, the situation of not being able to wash my hands rises, my exposure to Norovirus increases – This was me daily for two whole weeks on my holiday with P&O and why I am so distressed and angry?? IBS sufferers will know and understand my pain.

I spent all my time on and off the ship looking for the nearest toilet at least 10 times a day! BUT…….As soon as I got home, my IBS settled immediately!

Every single person we spoke to while on board (and I spoke to quite a few in the 2 weeks) all agreed how terrible the food/ship/motion of the ship was and how they would never sail on Ventura ever again, and probably not with P&O again either.  This speaks volumes on how P&O has declined as a company.

To add insult to injury, two days after getting home, I tested positive for Covid! Thanks P&O!!

If you like my blogs and would like to work with me don’t hesitate to Contact Me.  Feel free to leave a comment below.

Blogs You May Have Missed

Cruising Clean: Your Ultimate Guide to Shipboard Hygiene
Cruise Passengers Instruct Lawyers After Being Struck Down With Gastric Illness on P&O’s Ventura
Cruise Norovirus Outbreak Saw 519 Cases At Peak – BBC News

Hospital with no entry sign

Medical Infrastructure Excludes Disabled People – Results In Preventable Deaths

Disabled People Excluded From Medical Treatment! – You would think hospitals would be the best equipped for disabled people, considering how many patients arrive in wheelchairs and/or walking sticks. Sadly, this is not the case!

As a disabled person myself and my recent breast cancer journey, I have had quite a few dealings with the medical profession. Different hospitals, departments, and staff, doctors, nurses and oncologists. I am dumbstruck as to how excluding the health profession (as a whole) can be. This exclusion causes many disabled people from receiving the treatment they need. This can and does turn into life-threatening situations and yes, even death! This is my experience!

Before I go any further, this post is not directed at any one person, department or hospital. It’s a general overview of the medical profession’s infrustructure, highliting why so many disabled people can’t get the treatment they need. Right now, so many health professionals are putting their lives on the line for all of us. I’m so grateful for the treatment I have/am receiving.

My Experience

Hospital beds on a hospital ward

Considering the number of patients that a hospital treats, you’d think they would be better prepared for all walks of life. I’ve been in and out of hospital all my life and in this time, I have seen some positive changes, especially with attitudes but unfortunately, a lot of improvement is still needed.

Infrastructure is probably THE biggest issue, it definitely leaves a lot to be desired. Beds too high and not height adjustable and if they are height adjustable they still don’t go low enough. Disabled toilets that are not fit for purpose. Clinic rooms are too small to allow wheelchair users and their companions. The list goes on and on.

My experience as a patient in the medical profession spans over 50+ years. During this time I’ve had over 30 operations just related to my disability. I have been poked, prodded, a guinea pig gawked at, told if I bathed in Lourdes baths I would be able to walk without my caliper’s and even forced into a pair of new style calliper’s with the promise of being able to revert to my old ones if I didn’t like them. (A lie). My favourite, however, is being told ALL my problems would be solved if I lost weight! (I was seeing a so-called professor at the time regarding my vertigo).

Hospital Equipment

Equipment is probably the biggest reason disabled people can’t get the treatment they need. Take my radiotherapy treatment for my breast cancer. There was a lot of concern as to whether or not I would be able to get/off the radiotherapy bed. A “trial run” was arranged where I was taken to their CT scanner, (where they take patient measurements before treatment starts). I was able to transfer (with the help of hubby) on and off the bed. I was also able to keep my arms above my head using the stirrups attached to the bed.

So you can imagine my shock when in my first session of radiotherapy, I was unable to get up onto the bed. It was only then I was told the CT scanner bed can be lowered more than the radiotherapy bed! The point of the trial run then? Thankfully they had a hoist that I used. But what if they didn’t have one? I would not have been able to have radiotherapy.

Many patients have had treatment cancelled because of this very reason. CT beds or MRI beds being too high, a hoist is not available! How many patients have died because they can’t be examined or get the correct diagnosis or treatment? I have no idea what would have happened to me if I had been unable to get on/off the radiotherapy bed! What good are medical advancements if not EVERYONE can access them?

Disabled Toilets

Now we all know how terrible some disabled toilets are being not fit for purpose! A hospital of all places (where wheelchair users, patients on crutches etc are being treated) you’d expect to be the one place you’d not have a problem, right? Wrong! I have used so many different toilets in so many different hospitals and you would be shocked at how few of them I was able to use.

One’s where I’ve wheeled in facing the toilet and then can’t even close the door no matter how close I’ve got to the toilet, let alone transfer!

Disabled toilet at a private health clinic with a sign saying "Less Abled WC"
The sign says “Less Abled WC”
Patient Notes

The medical profession should have a system in place where patients’ needs are noted. I’m partially deaf, a fulltime-wheelchair user with IBS among many other ailments. None of this information is noted in my medical file.

If this information was readily available, this would make appointments run far more smoothly and quickly. I would not have to repeat myself at every appointment I have regarding my already existing medical conditions. As a disabled person, it takes all my energy to get ready and travel to my appointment. To then have to use what energy I have left to reel out my entire medical history, family medical history and any/all medications I am taking BEFORE even discussing why I am in front of you is exhausting, to say the least!

Having this information would also aid in having the right equipment available if a transfer is needed for an examination or treatment. Like at my radiotherapy treatment. The hoist (thankfully) belonged to that department so fetching it didn’t take too long. Once it was recognised I needed the hoist, it was always waiting for me at whatever machine I was on for that day. This proves having important information regarding a patient’s mobility/disability is extremely beneficial!

Mammograms, every time I go for my appointment (at the same place), their first words to me are “Oh sorry, we don’t have the facility to do wheelchair users”. I then have to explain (in detail) how I can remove my armrest and physically sit in a position to enable my mammogram to go ahead. There have been many times I have had to explain I have done this in the past on their machine at their hospital.

Hospital Letters To GPs

How many times have you received a copy of a letter to your GP from the hospital after your treatment and found it to be a fairytale rather than non-fiction? I am shocked at how many times my disability has been wrongly described, or how my disability/conditions affect me. It goes to show just how little the Dr/Surgeon/consultants etc actually listen to the patient.

This is most distressing when it is done to your face in the respect that you are made feel your concerns, illness etc are all in your head! After my heart attack, I suffered excruciatingly from vertigo. On a daily basis, I felt nauseous and dizzy. I couldn’t see properly, focus on the TV or read. Constantly felt like I was going to fall out of my chair or the bed at night. It affected me so badly that I didn’t even want to get out of bed each day. I became rather depressed over it all. Eventually, after a long battle with my local ENT clinic, I was given an appointment with a vertigo professor.

What a complete twat he was! He wanted my whole life history, I mean EVERYTHING! Only then to tell me if I lost half my weight, all my problems would be solved! I swear I am not exaggerating one bit. This dumbfounded me, something that very rarely happens to me. I left in tears! Here I was, not wanting to get up each day, unable to do basic functions, drive or communicate effectively with family & friends and he told me the solution was to lose weight?? AND HE WAS A PROFESSOR!!!!!!

Your Attitude Stinks

Hand holding a sad face emoji

Over the years, attitudes (believe it or not) have somewhat improved. There is still so much more improvement needed but I think it’s heading in the right direction, just not quickly enough.

My daughter had to go for an ultrasound scan as a young teenager. She wanted me to go in with her as it was more of a female issue. When the nurse came out to call her in, I moved to go in with my daughter and the nurse just sharply said “There’s no room for that thing”. I asked her “what thing” and she pointed at my wheelchair. This was in the waiting area in front of other patients, I was mortified! I was made to feel like a failure as a parent. I wasn’t able to be there for my daughter when she needed me. Who on earth has the right to make anyone feel this way? Especially when it turned out to be unnecessary?

Her Dad went in with our daughter (yes, she was asked would she prefer to make another appt or have her Dad go in with her). After the appointment, hubby explained there was ample room for me to have been able to go in with our daughter. I was furious that our daughter couldn’t have her Mum in with her for no reason whatsoever! I made a formal complaint, for all the good that done!

After this rotten incident, I was extremely nervous going to any and all appointments for the fear of the same treatment. Thankfully, they are far and few between but it only takes one!

Who’s The Expert?

I have lived with my disability/illness for 52 years. How long have you studied my disability specifically? When I tell you something is wrong, DON’T brush it off! Don’t tell me it’s all in my head, or caused by my anxiety, stress, weight etc, etc, etc. Bloody well investigate further! I live with my conditions on a daily basis, I know my body and how it works/reacts. So when something is wrong I am not looking for attention, or wasting your time.

If I gather enough energy to get to a GP appointment about something, I have already waited on it for weeks, if not months or years. Telling me to keep an eye on it and book in again if it’s not better is counterproductive as mostly I now have to recover from the energy that has already been spent. I am my own expert when it comes to my body/condition. Respect my experience, listen to me and be willing to learn from me.

If I say my disability is acting up or a cannula isn’t working, I’m almost always proven right. Do you listen? No! I then have to face the consequences of your ignorance. Like the time I had to have an echocardiogram with dye. I told you the cannula was not in my vein but you insisted it was, my arm started to swell as you injected the dye. So which one of us was right?

Calipers

I have always worn calipers to walk, up until roughly 18 years ago when I was diagnosed with scoliosis. As a child, my calipers were supplied and repaired by a company hired through my school. He was lovely every time I needed to see him, friendly & helpful. Then he got an apprentice! That’s when everything turned to shit for me.

This apprentice decided he knew better than everyone else! He had invented a new style pair of calipers made out of nothing but thick plastic and guess who was the guinea pig? They not only looked ugly but were extremely uncomfortable to wear. I got blisters, and sores that bled. They were the biggest heap of crap I had ever worn.

He tried selling the idea to me chatting about how I could wear “normal shoes” with them and if I really didn’t like them after a trial run, I would be able to go back to my original pair. (You know, the ones I had NO problem with WHATSOEVER!!). After the trial run, I went back to him and told him I hated them, how they hurt me and wanted to go back to my old pair. He said this could no longer happen as my old pair had been destroyed! I was mortified!

Many years later as an adult, I was now under Hammersmith hospital’s surgical appliance department. (you know where I’m going don’t you?). Guess who was there? Yep, the idiot who lied to me. I told him in no certain terms would he be putting me back into those horrible plastic things. Needless to say, he remembered me and nearly shit himself and of course, totally agreed with me.

Waiting

Red chairs sat in a row against a wall

Have you noticed how 90% of all waiting areas do not cater for wheelchair users? With over 1.2 million wheelchair users in the U.K, you’d think there would be a couple of places for us to wait.

Waiting areas are normally very small and cramped with no room for wheelchairs, electric or otherwise. Hospitals use internal wheelchairs to transport patients from one department to another. On top of other patients who use wheelchairs. Hospitals should be aware of the number of wheelchair users that would require space to wait their turn also. Yet sadly this is not normally the case.

Backtracking to patient notes, since my heart attack, I suffer from anxiety. As an IBS sufferer, waiting is a big issue for me as waiting for an appointment causes me a lot of anxiety. My anxiety causes my IBS to flare up. I can and have started worrying the night before, so by the time I turn up for my appointment I’m already a wreck. It would be really helpful if staff knew this so that if I’m rushing back and forth to the toilet and not in the waiting area when called, at least they may understand why. Of course, the ideal solution is to not have to wait too long.

Then there’s the “Oh, didn’t realise you were in a wheelchair, can you get out of it at all, not sure there’s enough room for it”? A lot of appointments are taken up with this sort of conversation and then them running around looking for an alternative room. This only prolongs the waiting time, which then makes my anxiety worse as now I feel a burden, then my IBS gets worse so needing the toilet again!

Conclusion

The health profession as a whole still needs massive improvements. Some improvements have already happened and seem to be moving in the right direction but it’s just not improving quickly enough. Advancements are also happening but these are no good to people who can’t access them due to failed accessibility!

Related Blogs

PillTime: Home Deliver Pharmacy Service

Electric Wheelchair Assessment: Being Told What I Do & Don’t Need As I Obviously Don’t Know My Own Disability!

If you would like to work with me don’t hesitate to Contact Me.

High street with speech bubbles saying "We're Accessible"

So You Advertise As Accessible?

So, You’re Accessible? – Many companies and retailers advertise as being “Accessible” but what does this actually mean? Does it tell me if you have any steps in and around your premises? No! Does it tell me how high your counters are? No! So the fact you are advertising yourself as “Accessible”, gives me and other disabled people NO information whatsoever! Not only that, but you are probably also in breach of the Equality Act 2010!

Claiming to be Accessible Doesn’t Mean You Are Accessible!

So, You’re Accessible? – As a company or retailer, advertising as being “accessible” and then giving no further information, means you are not being as inclusive as you would like to think! Just because I CAN enter your premises, does NOT make you an accessible company.

Your interpretation of accessibility will most probably be completely different to those of a disabled person! There are many things you need to have in place before you can warrant yourself the title of being an “Accessible” company.

I am a full-time wheelchair user and my accessibility needs would differ from those who say are deaf or blind, I can not climb steps but a deaf person would most likely manage them. My arms are very weak and I can’t raise them up past my midriff, therefore using card machines on a counter is extremely difficult but yet, again a deaf or blind person would most probably find it easier to use.

Being Accessible

So, You're Accessible - Equality Act 2010 & Buildings Regulation compliant Disabled Toilet
Equality Act 2010 & Buildings Regulation compliant Disabled Toilet

Disabled toilets, do you have a unisex one as well as male/female ones? Some disabled people have carers who are of the opposite sex. They would need to use a unisex toilet.

Changing rooms, the above would also apply. The amount of times my husband has been refused to come in a changing room with me is shocking, to say the least.

When shopping for new bras in a very well known high street chain. My husband couldn’t come in with me as it was a female changing room. When asked if there were any unisex changing room, I was told no. I asked where the disabled changing room was, it was in the female changing room section.

When I argued the point that he was my carer and I could not try on the bras without his help and the fact I shouldn’t be expected to have a complete stranger help me with such intimate form of help, especially when they are at fault for not providing a unisex changing room, my husband was eventually allowed in to help me.

The other side of the coin is companies that do have these amenities but then use them for other purposes. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have been to restaurants, clothing shops and found the changing room or disabled toilet being used as a storage room. Using these amenities outside of its intended purpose is again, NOT being inclusive. I STILL can’t use them!! So yes, having these features may make you accessible but you ARE NOT USABLE!!

So What Is Accessible?

When a disabled person wishes to visit your premises, we need to know quite a few things to allow our visit to be as hassle-free as possible. I don’t want to read/hear the words “Yes, we are accessible”, only to turn up and find that actually, you’re not accessible at all. We need to know things like the following (this is only a fraction of the information we may need):

  • Are you level throughout your premises?
  • Do you have any steps? If so, how many and how high (most electric wheelchair users can cope with one small step)
  • Do you have a unisex disabled toilet?
  • Are your changing rooms unisex? Do you have a disabled changing room?
  • Restaurants, how high are your tables, I need to know if my knees will go under the table as I am in quite a high wheelchair.
  • Do you supply large print menus?
  • Hearing loops?
  • Height of your customer counters?
  • Hotels, do you offer wet rooms?
  • How high is the sink in your wet room?
  • Does the shower/toilet have grab rails, if so, where are they and are they horizontal/vertical?
  • Do you have lifts?
  • Can you supply letters in braille?

Accessibility Fail

Primark’s wheelchair accessible till

When accessibility fails on a mega scale, it is very distressing, soul-destroying and extremely frustrating to say the very least. My husband booked a hotel for a surprise long weekend in Cornwall. He phoned the hotel first to check out its accessibility, they answered all his questions and assured him all would be fine.

We turned up at the hotel only to find a list of accessibility failures:

  • There was a flight of steps leading up to the entrance. No problem said the hotel, just use the trade entrance round the back!
  • Our room was upstairs, the lift was a very tight squeeze, if I had my electric chair I have now, I wouldn’t have got in!
  • A step down the middle of the hallway leading to our room, the step was over 5 inches high
  • My manual wheelchair would not fit through the bathroom door, again, not a problem said the hotel, we’ll remove the door for you!
  • The disabled bathroom was NOT a wet room, it had a bath with a glass door across it, I had to get my husband to help me shuffle across the floor from the bathroom door entrance to the toilet so I could use the damn thing!
  • No room on either side of the bed to park my wheelchair.
  • The patio doors leading to the garden area had a very high step.
  • When in the restaurant, hubby had to get my food at the buffet as the room was so small. Hubby would have to go see what was available, come back and tell me, then go back to fetch it!

Not How To Resolve Issues

When things do go wrong and you get a complaint, here is a prime example of how NOT to deal with it!

To add insult to injury, when we complained to the hotel manager, he was rude, and obnoxious and accused us of lying only to get a refund. I told him to check with the staff member who offered to take the bathroom door off for us. He still wasn’t having it.

I told him he could stick his refund, that was not what this was about. The hotel was advertised as being “wheelchair Accessible” when clearly it didn’t even come close.

How To Improve

  1. Make sure you are actually accessible BEFORE advertising as so.
  2. If you are unsure of the accessibility features you should have (some are business dependant), ask!! There are many of us only too happy to advise you on accessibility needs, Some do it as a business!!
  3. Give disabled people more information. Have a section on your website explaining how you are accessible.
  4. If something is out of order, like lifts, let us know!
Wheelchair-accessible changing room

It really isn’t that difficult to be Equality Act 2010 compliant!!

More Blogs

Hotels Don’t Offer Accessible Family Rooms, Is This Discrimination?

WAV – What Is It And Why has It Improved My Independence?

Wheelchair Life – Ignorance, Personal Space Invasion & Damage!

If you would like to work with me, or if there is anything you would like me to blog about, don’t hesitate to Contact Me.

Disabled Toilet Blue Badge bay and radar key

Disabled Facilities: Do You Abuse Them? I Bet You Have!

Disabled Facilities: Do You Abuse Them? I Bet You Have! – Disabled facilities are there to help disabled people achieve the same daily tasks able-bodied people take for granted. By abusing these facilities, you are preventing us from living our daily life as you expect to live yours…..Without fighting for your basic human rights!!

Disabled Toilets: How Many Times Have You Used One?

My life as a wheelchair user is difficult enough with the barriers I face on a daily basis. Shops I’m unable to enter due to lack of access, card readers too high/too far back to reach when paying for my shopping, people leaning on my wheelchair like I’m some sort of leaning post, derogatory comments etc, the list truly is endless.

Disabled Facilities:  Do You Abuse Them?  I Bet You Have!  -  Disabled toilet fitted with handrails, changing table.

So when I need to use the toilet and an able-bodied person walks out of the disabled toilet, I’m angry, why? Well, one of the reasons is I suffer from IBS, it is one of the most unpredictable illnesses I suffer from. The urgency one feels when having an attack is frightening, so when you are made to wait for probably the only disabled toilet available and a non-disabled person walks out, why wouldn’t I be furious?

I have been close more times than I care to mention to having an “accident” because someone’s selfishness has made me wait for a disabled toilet unnecessarily. Who wants that? I certainly don’t, especially when it could have been avoided!

Changing places toilets

Changing places toilets are important to many disabled people as they have a changing table for those that need assistance going to the toilet. This is obviously much more preferable than having to lie down on dirty, wet, urine-stained flooring, which is what has to happen if a changing places toilet is not available or present. You really would be disgusted and angry if it was your child or family member who had to lie on this kind of filthy flooring.

Most standard Men & Ladies toilets have more than one cubicle/urinal for use. To use and take away what is normally the only disabled toilet available is not only selfish but inconsiderate to those of us that have medical reasons for “needing” to use a toilet urgently.

Please in future, be more mindful of which toilet you use.

Disabled Parking Bays: You Will Only Be Two Minutes, So It’s OK!

Disabled Facilities: Do You Abuse Them? I Bet You Have! – I’m fed up with the number of times I’ve been told, “I’ll only be a minute”, “I’m just popping to cash machine, I won’t be long”!! I don’t care how long you will be!!! IT IS ILLEGAL to park in a disabled parking bay without a blue badge. Currently, the average fine for parking illegally in an enforceable disabled person parking bay is £30 which can rise to a maximum of £1000. Personally, I don’t believe that’s much of a deterrent!!

Disabled Facilities:  Do You Abuse Them?  I Bet You Have! - Car parked in a disabled bay with no blue badge on display
Rule 241 of the Highway Code says:

You MUST NOT park in parking spaces reserved for specific users, such as Blue Badge holders, residents or motorcycles unless entitled to do so. Source: www.gov.uk – Highway Code

Parking in a disabled bay illegally can mean the difference between me completing my task, shopping, Dr’s/hospital appointment, attending a meeting or having to turn around and go back home again. There have been numerous occasions where I have had to go home without being able to do whatever it was I set out to do and that is the key here, not being able to do what I want/need to do!

Your selfishness and inconsideration have a detrimental effect on my daily life, you can not begin to understand the strain my body goes through when I have to get in/out of my wheelchair to get in/out of the car. Not once but 4 times just to do one trip!! It can take up to 2 days for my body to recover, so no, I am not tolerant of your behaviour……Why should I be!!

I wonder how tolerant you would be about these inconsiderate actions if I were the one telling you that “I will only be a minute, just popping to the cash machine”, or “I’m just dropping this letter off”? If this was a daily occurrence in your life, how accepting would you be?

Wheelchair Space on Buses: You Didn’t Fight For Them, Yet Happy to Prevent Those That Did From Using Them!

Disabled Facilities:  Do You Abuse Them?  I Bet You Have! - Sign explaining wheelchair has priority.


Well, where do I start with this one? Oh yes, disabled people fought and fought for these spaces, year after year, after year until finally, we succeeded. Then, along came buggy pushers and thought it quite acceptable to use these spaces when a wheelchair user needs it, you know, the ones we disabled people fought for! The space has that lovely big blue sticker stating priority wheelchair area. Exactly!!!

Where were all the buggy pushers when we were fighting for this space? Hmmm? exactly! Yet now the hard work has been done and the wheelchair space is now implemented, you are happy to take advantage of the wheelchair space provided for wheelchair users!!

Now don’t get me wrong, I really have NO objection to buggy pushers using this space, IF ONLY YOU WOULD MOVE WHEN NEEDED BY A WHEELCHAIR USER!!!!! The problem is that quite a lot of you buggy pushers REFUSE blankly to move……The signage is very clear in it’s meaning!! You are more than welcome to use the wheelchair space if NOT NEEDED by a wheelchair user. If it is needed, you MUST MOVE. It really isn’t rocket science you know.

It really does infuriate me when this happens as we wheelchair users only have ONE place we can use on a bus, buggy pushers have other options available to them if they so wish. You are basically taking away our right to travel as able-bodied travellers would expect to travel.

Legal Battle

Mr Paulley successfully sued FirstGroup at Leeds County Court for unlawful discrimination against him due to his disability. However, First Group appealed and the case was finally heard by the Supreme Court. On 18 January 2017, it made a landmark ruling that bus companies must end ‘first come, first served’ policies and do more to cater for wheelchair users. Read more: Equality and Human Right Commission

Conclusion

At the end of the day, like it or not, disabled people are not looking for “special treatment/services”, we just want to be able to live our lives as independently as possible and that does mean adjustments need to be made to standardised services.

Simple example. If your vision is not 20/20, what do you do? You visit an optician to get your eyesight tested, yes? If it turns out that you need glasses, you get them. So why should it be any different for someone who’s legs do not work to not be allowed to use an adapted toilet? How would you feel if you were told you couldn’t have/wear the glasses you “needed” to perform your daily tasks???? Think about that one!!

Disabled people are told daily, they can’t have this, can’t use that all because some of you are too selfish and self-important to even try to understand why we “need” these adaptions.

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Sample image of the disabled blue badge

Disability Blue Badge is Changing!

The blue badge disabled parking scheme is undergoing its biggest shake-up since it was introduced in 1970.  Previously, local authorities could not exclude those with hidden disabilities, but granting permission was very much open to interpretation. The changes now give councils clearer guidelines.  Last month, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed that from 2019, people with hidden disabilities will be granted access to the scheme too.  Read the full story here.

According to the Citizen Advice Bureaux:  

If you’re disabled or have a health condition that affects your mobility, you can apply for a Blue Badge.  You can also apply for a badge if you care for a child with a health condition. 

Who can get a Blue Badge 

You’re automatically eligible for a Blue Badge if you:

  • Are registered as blind
  • Get the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
  • In receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Scored 8 points or more in the ‘moving around’ area of your assessment. Check your decision letter if you’re not sure
  • Receive War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement 
  • Received a lump sum payment as part of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (tariffs 1 to 8). Been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability
If you’re not automatically eligible

It’s worth applying as you might still be able to get a badge. You’ll have to fill in an extra part of the application to show why you need one. 

You should do this if:
  • Problems walking that is permanent, or that your doctor says are likely to last at least a year
  • You can’t use your arms
  • You’re applying on behalf of a child aged over 2 who has problems walking. A child under 3 who needs to be close to a vehicle because of a health condition

Source:  Citizen Advice Bureaux 

This raises a few questions:

  1. Will the councils, private car parks, hospitals, high streets etc. increase the amount of disabled parking bays to accommodate all the new users?
  2. Will councils tackle Blue Badge abuse that happens, more effectively?
  3. If the blue badge is now open to people with all disabilities, how will this affect people with mobility conditions and people who need the extra space for wheelchairs?

We all know how difficult it is to find an empty disabled parking bay as it is.  Once this change takes effect next year, can you imagine just how much harder this will become?  I always believed blue badges were for people who had mobility disabilities.  The wider bays were/are for people who need the extra space to be able to get into and out of their cars, for wheelchairs, straightening callipers or something else.  Am I right to assume that everybody with a disability NEEDS extra space around their car?  So, if not, why not introduce more disabled bays the same width as other bays, for those that don’t need the extra space?

Apply for a blue badge.

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Inside an aeroplane toilet to show how small they are.

Stressed & Embarrassed by Taking A Pee With The Door Open & Staff Loitering!

The Degradation Of Peeing With The Door Open & Staff Loitering! – Is this something you would tolerate flying on your hols? I guess not but that is exactly what disabled people are expected to do! That is what I had to do! Oh, and that is IF you can use the toilet in the first place!

Airline Failures

Flying & disability are not two words airlines want to put together!

I’m due to travel to Las Vegas later in the year and one of my big fears among many is what if I can’t use the toilet!  My flight is 11 hours long, I can’t hold myself all that time!  I shouldn’t be expected to either but that’s exactly what airlines are expecting us to do. Anyone who has flown will know just how small the toilets are on an aeroplane. How on earth is any wheelchair user expected to use one is beyond me. More importantly, why are airlines still getting away with this blatant discrimination??

While going through my Twitter, I came across another lady who is also flying in the near future and was asking if anyone knew how she could find the dimensions of the toilet on the type of plane she will be flying on.  This made me realise I wasn’t the only one needing this kind of info. So, I took this opportunity to find out how one would go about searching the dimensions of an aeroplane’s toilet.

I got in touch with BA who couldn’t help, I contacted other airlines but no luck there either. I even contacted several companies including Boeing themselves who I might add never responded.

It Turns out, airlines don’t actually hold this information. I’m left hoping that a nice member of the cabin crew will take the dimensions and pass them on.  So far, trying to research this information has been practically impossible.

Stressed & Embarrassed by Taking A Pee With The Door Open & Staff Loitering! - Aeroplane with an image of what a standard toilet looks like inside the plane.

Availability

Why is this type of information so hard to source? Why can’t airlines have this info available from their accessibility team? Because they don’t want disabled people flying! That’s why! The way airlines treat disabled customers and their wheelchairs/aids are beyond incompetent and disgusting!!

  • This information should be readily available.
  • it should NOT be this difficult to obtain this kind of information directly from the airlines.
  • Information of this nature should be available from their accessibility team.

Now we all understand the business concept of making money but when you are clearly making changes that exclude sections of society because of said business concept, surely this can be deemed as discrimination?  So why, are these airlines allowed to not only continue this behaviour but actually make the situation worse? 

Airlines are doing all they can to discourage disabled people from flying!!!  Oh and it’s not just disabled people, large people also are affected.  People who may need 2 seats instead of 1, (we know how small the seats are too) who also wouldn’t be able to use small toilets.  So why is there not more public outrage??  I’m truly baffled!!

Discrimination

As I’m typing up this blog, the lady on Twitter has just got back to me saying she went into the airport and spoke with the airline in person and got the information she needed.  Why should she have to do that?  Couldn’t the airline have given her the info over email/telephone when she/I first asked? An able-bodied flyer wouldn’t have had to do this!!

Equality Act 2010 Says
Equality Act 2010 logo

What is discrimination arising from disability? (new)

Discrimination arising from disability occurs when a disabled person is treated unfavourably because of something connected with their disability and the unfavourable treatment cannot be justified.

Discrimination arising from disability is different from direct discrimination. Direct discrimination occurs when a service provider treats someone less favourably because of the disability itself. In the case of discrimination arising from disability, the question is whether the disabled person has in practice been treated unfavourably because of something connected with their disability.” Source: Equality Act 2010

So what should have been a simple task, cost that lady time, energy, petrol/travel expenses and frustration! Being disabled is a full-time job, believe me! Disabled people are faced with tasks of this nature DAILY and several times a day. (No wonder I’m always bloody tired!)

The most frustrating aspect of this is, that the majority of the research we have to do is unnecessary. If companies were more inclusive, we wouldn’t have to fight for basic information!

Links

Boeing

Equality Act 2010

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