Accessible only if you're mobility impaired...

[yarram]

So, I recently spent a week in the UK. I spent a couple days staying at the City Inn hotel in Manchester. The staff were very nice and gave me an "accessible" room. There was plenty of room for a wheelchair, the bathroom had lots of grab bars and all the counters were lowered, and the floors were all nice and level. Unfortunately, none of these things are useful for my particular disability.

You see, I'm deaf.

There was no visual-alert fire alarm in the room.

So, City Inn of Manchester, you get good marks for effort... but you still fail.

Healthcare parking fail!

[roserodent]

The following lovely images come from my local healthcare centre. I was referred there because the hospital has no parking, and I have been unable to get there to have treatment. They send me to the community healthcare centre, which has parking, nay even has disabled parking! Wow! And here it is.



And from a slightly different angle:




You will perceive, because you are not totally devoid of thought like the person who painted a wheelchair symbol on this parking bay, that it is impossible to open the door to the left (UK passenger) side. On the right side is a nice pillar against your driving door (there is another of those white collar things as seen in the rear pillar), with another pillar against the rear door, and to prevent you from using the "wide" area to the right of the bay to actually get OUT of the bay and into the healthcare facility, being unable to teleport thorugh the car parked to your right.

Luckily I am able to stagger interestingly to the rear of my car, but have to operate the hoist and hold myself vertical with one hand, because the boot hits the roof if you let go after you open it. Good job I have good clearance and don't need to drop a ramp out the back of a van, then, as it would not go past.

I am also standing as far back as it is possible to stand in order to take this picture, which might give some indication of the ease (or otherwise) of actually pulling into said bay in the first place. Last time I think it took 9 separate maneouvres. (Spelling, spelling, why do I have to use the word "manoeuvre" about 5 times a day?)

Marks for providing parking at all - 3/10 as it's a legal duty. Marks for thought process on disabled bay - 0/10.

Deaf on wheels

[roserodent]

I am getting tired of the number of places you have to be hearing in order to be mobility disabled. You can't possibly be both. And the fact that the equalities people who deal with enforcement of disability legislation (when it suits them!) are still ACTIVELY advocating the use of push-button intercoms as an adjustment. Places I can't use:

*Local college where my daughter goes to nursery - used to have push button for wheelchair access door, but becuase (shock and horror) non-wheelies sometimes pressed the button, they locked it up and you now have to press an intercom and wait, usually gesticulating wildly that the noise they are trying to locate is the door intercom.

*University library - epic fail! During renovations work the library got a temporary lift because entry was due to be on the second floor. All well and good, but to use it you had to press the button and (as informed by the notices hung around the lift) "be prepared to wait up to 20 minutes" for someone to come out and insert a key into the lift so you could use it. Yes, 20 minutes to go "there you go" with a book return, on your way to a lecture, or to return a 1-hour loan book that has overdue fines by the *minute*. And nowhere to sit if you don't have a wheelchair, and no cover so you are out in the snow. Not great when you are less than mobile. They also closed the disabled parking spaces, and alternative parking is over 500m across badly maintained cobbles. And that is if I could actually hear them when I pressed the intercom.

*Local hospital - for free disabled parking push the button and read out your badge number when prompted.

*Other far away hospital I have to use due to poor access at local departments - push-button to enter disabled parking area for - wait for this, it's good - the hearing aid clinic!!

*If you become trapped in this lift press the button and you will be able to talk to the Otis (etc.) control centre - great, thanks. So nobody *inside* the building will know I am in here so not to lock the main doors and go home, and I am stuck shouting "I am deaf and stuck in lift number 808-A/224" for the next n hours.

*University student union building - press button if you need help to use the lift. Well, I don't need help to use the lift, actually, I just need you to put in a key. How difficult would it be to let us each have a f'ing key on a deposit?

*If your hearing aid breaks you have to phone an answerphone to arrange a repair. OK, nothing to do with wheelchairs, but just ironic that if you have a broken hearing aid you have to be able to use the telephone to inform them you have a broken hearing aid.

And many more I long since forgot.

*sigh*

A little light laughter

[roserodent]

Text description: Clearly posted on the door of the disabled toilet is a notice saying the toilet is closed for cleaning and please use the disabled toilet instead.

Doh!