For those who don’t know the Motability car, you recieve a car (if desired) for 3 years. There is a ‘fair wear and tear’ policy for people like me who inadvertedly bash cars getting a wheelchair in and out each day. But fair wear and tear does not include mindless numpties with nothing better to do than trash other people’s property.

Thankfully Royal Sun Alliance have given me a ‘get out of jail’ letter for when I return the car to Motability next week. This letter has saved me paying an excess fee, and prevented me from being clobbered with an expensive repair bill to correct the damage. Unfortuantely I have no doubt that in 3 years time I will probably be writing the same thing where another mindless numpty (if not the same one) has probably done exactly the same thing.

There is no chance of me offending the idiot who caused the damage, as someone who causes this type of mindless damage cannot possibly read. In fact it would not surprise me if their mother still has to dress them each morningas well as change their nappies prior to their regular visits to the benefit office to collect their weekly Sky TV subscription.

Oh what a world we live in!

See the off-road wheelchair for yourself.

So, just as I rolled up to the offices, our Chairman Mr James Caan was also making his way in. Seeing me and my four wheels loitering outside, James promptly volunteered (with FE MD who was back from trying to find another willing volunteer) to hoink me up the stairs and into the offices. So there you go, yesterday I got my lift from a Dragon – cheers James, I hope your back was alright this morning?

So I am actually busting for a leak, stuck in a traffic jam in London (The conjestion charge really works) and wanting to get to Hanover Square as I knew a big store that had a disabled toilet. I’ll do another blog on the inedequaces of London for wheelchair users another time. The fact it took 90 minutes to travel two miles from Euston to Regents Street is an absolute joke in itself.

Point of the matter is this – our Capital city has a woeful supply of wheelchair accessible toilets. To think we have the Paralympics in three years time is a frightening prospect, god help them in London!

Now, I am not going to name the department store in question, but lets put it this way, you will find a number of ‘celebrities’ frequenting it, my last visits have yielded a glimpse of Zoe Ball, Professor Lord Robert Winstone and June Sarpong.

I left Adam (Fresh Egg MD) downstairs at the front of the store letting him know I would be back in a few minutes. Unfortunately for Adam, I was gone fo half an hour, because I had to wait for Mr & Mrs Can’t Wait to finish their business in one of the few disabled toilets that I am aware of in this part of London. By the time I got out Adam had gone and was convinced he would have to get a train back to Worthing.

Twenty minutes of fun

Hey, I’m not a complete moaning old windbag; who’s to say I would not have done exactly the same thing if opportunity knocked? I would say the couple in question had a great time, based on how happy they looked when they came out. I could say “I’m not having it”, but that could be taken too literally. But why is it that I have to wait until their fun and pleasure had come to an end? I was bursting myself, but for very different reasons.

Lucky Escape

Unfortunately, I did not get to say my piece to Love’s Young Dream, I was just on my way to the lift some 20 yards away when the fulfilled couple popped out back into the real world. Had I been closer I can assure you I would of said a few choice words and possibly taken a picture to really polish off this post.

The point is this – it is another sad statistic in the bigger picture that disabled people are an after thought and that facilities that are in place to assist those members of society that are less fortunate than others are simply abused.

Toilet Keys

Now, I moaned my backside off with regard an incident at Moto Services, Pease Pottage recently, where I had to ask for a key to use a toilet, so on a different day I can see why the scheme can work. I will tackle this subject with a separate post. At least though the couple would not have been able to prevent me from using the toilet as required with my big silver RADAR key. Perhaps, there should be a separate toilet lock scheme for those people who cannot keep it in their pants.

The other side of the fence

I know I am in the minority, but I don’t want pity, or sorrow or sympathy. All I and other disabled people want is the same rules that everyone else gets; unfortuantely that is not the case.

More wheelchair discrimination

I had a cracking night at Bar Ten in Worthing on Saturday night. I was out with friends for a 30th Birthday party and had a pass from her indoors; it was almost a perfect night, so what’s the problem you may ask?

Here’s the problem, if I had been on my own I would not have been able to get in the Bar Ten, Worthing to carry on the festivities after a meal at Toto’s (a Spanish Restaurant).

Bloke in wheelchair needs rent a crowd

So why is it the normal able-bodied world perceives that disabled people have to go everywhere with ‘rent-a-crowd’ to enjoy themselves?

I’ll tell you why, it’s because businesses are so blinkered when it comes to disability. With regards Ten, it goes without saying the venue cannot seem to recognise that people in wheelchairs are capable of drinking on their own as well.

So why can I not get into Ten on my own?

a) There is no wheelchair ramp
b) The bouncers refuse to assist as they are not covered by insurance

Now, I have to be careful of what I say next, but aren’t pub doorman not supposed to be hard men? Well perhaps they were 10 years ago but give me a break. In fact since when did pub doormen go PC? Can anyone let me know?

I cannot imagine The Guv’nor Lenny McLean (a proper hard man, not an impostor) not helping a bloke in a wheelchair – what a joke!

To be fair though it is not the fault of a pub doorman (used to be hard men) that red tape prevents them from helping someone into Ten, no this is the fault of the following:

a) The owners of Ten, who it would seem do not want the patronage of wheelchair users
b) The sad world of political correctness

Your name’s not down,
you’re not coming in wheelchair user!

A very likely scenario 1

I plan to meet friends in Worthing town centre; I get a taxi into town to meet-up, only to find that I cannot get into the pub and my phone is out of charge. A counter argument could be to say why would your friends go to a pub that you cannot get into? A fair question one could say. Fact of the matter is this: unless a pub is sitting on the summit of Mount Everest, why should I not be able to get in it?

A very likely scenario 2

Let’s say that I am in town with a mate and I get distracted on my way to Ten because I bumped into an old friend and we have a quick catch-up. On arrival at Bar Ten I would not be able to get into the establishment because  there is no ramp and the ‘PC’ pub doormen will not lift the man in the wheelchair because they are not insured – what utter rubbish!

I would like to know the answer to the following: Why am I and other independent wheelchair users discriminated against?

Raking it in

Over the years the entertainment venue that is now Ten has undergone a number of changes. From Cloisters, to The Church and now Ten.

I want you to think of all the money that has been spent on refurbishing the place in the last 19 years. Do you not think a ramp and a disabled toilet could of been sorted in this time? We are not talking hundreds of thousands of pounds here for the two simple additions to this building. In fact given the money that has been spent on the venue, the cost of these two simple facilities would be neglible.

Is it the owners The Chapman Group just don’t care about wheelchair users? Perhaps a representative of the organisation would like to enlighten us all.

Ultimately wheelchair users do not want to be lifted into any establishment. Wheelchair users would like to be able to get into a pub on their own accord and spend their money at the bar without having to be belittled by asking for assistance.

Disability Discrimination Act 2005 complaint

I am now going to test the DDA legislation introduced in 2005 to back my discrimination claim. Let’s see how well the law will back me up. I’ll be honest, I won’t hold my breath, I am sure there will plenty of loopholes the owners and their solicitors will be using to worm their way out of the simple fact that Ten in Worthing discriminates against wheelchair users.

I have to say I am extremely surprised that I have had nothing in the form of an acknowledgement from Moto Services with regard my complaint.

My email contact was followed up by a letter sent by post to head office last week. The letter was addressed to the MD. You have to wonder if Moto Services are taking me seriously?

I have received some great feedback on my letter and if Moto Services think I am going to go away they really do have another thing coming. Plain and simple – I was discriminated against, and all the while Moto Services stay silent, it will enable me to build a bigger case against the national company.

Getting Legal, Getting Publicity

Although I am a very busy person, I really do feel strongly on this one, so the next stage is to start thinking about a legal path should I receive no communication in the not too distant future. Further to that I am going to start hitting the media and drumming up support via social networks.

Bad publicity is the only way that Moto are going to start taking me seriously.

Let’s see how many letters it will take efore the message gets through to them?

Dear Moto Services,

You will have to excuse my rather flippant answers on your contact form. I would appreciate it greatly if you could scale this email complaint to a member of Moto Services personnel of the highest authority.

Please let me explain why I am finding myself writing to you. I had the misfortune of having to call in to the Moto Services at Pease Pottage earlier today. The nature of the visit was to use the restrooms and for refreshment. So what was the problem you may ask?

For your visualization ‘I was busting!’. So imagine my shock when I go to visit the toilet to find it locked down as part of the RADARS scheme. For the uneducated, RADARS is a scheme that prevents, druggies, and idiotic people from using disabled toilet facilities. The problem with RADARS is that it also prevents disabled people from using the restroom facilities.

Oh did I not mention that I am dependent upon a wheelchair? The next part is not necessarily the problem of Moto Services, but to educate you on this point, RADAR is the UK’s largest disability campaigning organization. I will say RADAR is a self-appointed organization who do not speak for every disabled person. Unfortunately, RADAR did not supply me with a golden key when I broke my neck, nor did anyone tell me that because I ended up in a wheelchair that I would need a key in order to perform a basic bodily function in a service station.

So because I do not have a RADAR key, I have to suffer the indignation of chasing down a member of staff at Moto Services to use the toilet. This I did, I approached a cleaner, the cleaner was unable to help, But this cleaner was any member of staff! In fairness, he did point me in the direction of WH Smiths. It’s funny, I thought WH Smiths sold newspapers and drinks not supply keys for disabled toilets. So here I am desperate for the toilet and I am finding myself having to negotiate a busy shop and then join a queue, and all because I wanted to visit a restroom and I’m in a wheelchair – wow, let’s make the man in a wheelchair feel great about himself.

So why is it that I have to ask a shop worker for permission to use the toilet? To make matters worse, the RADAR key could not be found, and no before you ask the disabled toilet was not in use, it was showing as not being engaged.

The shop worker then gave me the name of a person to go and find; that would be fine if I knew who the hell I was looking for! I did take a brief look to see if there was anyone remotely looking like a member of staff near the toilets, but to no avail. Considering the services were very busy I simply could not waste time looking for someone whose identity I was clueless about.

As a result of this incredulous display of ineffectual thinking towards disabled people, I had to round up my family who were buying refreshments and get into my car and carry on my journey back to my destination address some 30 miles away so that I could relieve my bladder.

I want to thank Moto services for putting my life in jeopardy. Yes, as a result of your inadequate service for disabled people, I could of died! This is not an exaggeration. Please look up the medical description for the term ‘Autonomic Dysreflexia’. It is a life-threatening symptom associated with Quadriplegia.

The journey back was not great, I was extremely upset that I could not use a toilet; I felt completely humiliated, and I want the executives of Moto Services to be well aware of this and re-think the policy of access to the disabled toilet. So not only could I not go to the toilet, I had a very upset family.

I look forward to receiving your comments on how you think your ridiculous policy is empowering disabled people and allowing wheelchair users like myself to integrate with the rest of society.

Yours sincerely

Lee Colbran