Detrimental Impact Caused When You Abuse Disabled Facilities – Accessible facilities enable disabled individuals to manage daily tasks that able-bodied people take for granted. Misusing these facilities isn’t just selfish; it prevents us from living our lives as fully as you expect to live yours.
Disabled Toilets: How Many Times Have You Used One?
My life as a wheelchair user is difficult enough with the barriers I face daily. Shops I’m unable to enter due to lack of access. Card readers are too high/too far back to reach when paying for my shopping. People leaning on my wheelchair like I’m some leaning post, derogatory comments, etc. The list goes on and on.
So when I need to use the wheelchair-accessible toilet and an able-bodied person walks out. I’m angry! Why? I suffer from IBS. This is an extremely unpredictable illness that 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?
Yes, I’m fully aware of “hidden disabilities”, but some of the time, it’s clear to see a disabled toilet abuser. 9/10 times, they apologise or give some lame excuse as to why they used that particular toilet. And I have heard some lame ones.
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 essential to many disabled people, as they have a changing table for those who need assistance going to the toilet. This is much more preferable than lying down on dirty, wet, urine-stained flooring, which must happen if a changing-places toilet is not available or present. You really would be disgusted and angry if it were your child or family member who had to lie on a putrid floor.
Most standard men’s and ladies’ toilets have multiple cubicles or urinals. Occupying the sole accessible toilet deprives those with disabilities and medical conditions of essential facilities, making it both selfish and inconsiderate to those needing access.
How Many Times Have We Heard: “I’ll Only Be Two Minutes”?
I’m sick to my stomach with the number of times I’ve been told, “I’ll only be a minute”, or “I’m just popping to the 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 displaying a blue badge. (The fine for parking in a disabled bay in the UK can range from £70 to £130, depending on the local authority). Which can rise to a maximum of £1000. I don’t believe that’s much of a deterrent!!
Illegal use of disabled bays isn’t just inconvenient—it directly impacts my ability to live independently. Each unnecessary transfer in and out of my wheelchair strains my body, causing pain, fatigue, and exhaustion that can take days to recover from. To do this and find I’ve had a wasted journey is more than soul-destroying. This isn’t just about lost time—it’s about enduring physical hardship because someone selfishly took the only accessible space.
Imagine someone blocking your only parking spot, dismissively saying, “I’ll just be a minute.” Would that be acceptable to you? Then why should it be acceptable to us?
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 making my doctor’s or hospital appointment, shopping, attending a meeting, or having to turn around and go back home again. There have been numerous occasions when I have had to go home without being able to do whatever it was I set out to do, all because someone was selfish enough to take the only space I could use and be able to get out of my vehicle.
Your selfishness and inconsideration have a detrimental effect on my daily life. Your selfishness proves you have no understanding of 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 four times just to make one trip!! It can take up to three days for my body to recover, so no, hence why I am not tolerant of your behaviour.
I wonder how tolerant you would be about these inconsiderate actions. I’ve seen how able-bodied people react when they are aiming for a parking spot, and someone else nicks it first. Imagine if that was the ONLY parking bay you could use while being told, “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!
Where do I start with this one? Disabled people fought and fought for these spaces, year after year after year, until finally, we succeeded. Then, along came buggy pushers who believed it was quite acceptable to use these spaces when a wheelchair user needed it. You remember the very disabled people who fought for space in the first place! 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 that the hard work has been done and the wheelchair space has been implemented, you are all happy to take advantage of the space provided for wheelchair users!!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I have NO objection to buggy pushers using this space. IF ONLY YOU WOULD MOVE WHEN NEEDED BY A WHEELCHAIR USER!!!!! The problem is that many (not all) of you buggy pushers refuse to move blankly. The signage is obvious in it’s meaning!! You are welcome to use the wheelchair space if NOT NEEDED by a wheelchair user. It isn’t rocket science, you know.
It does infuriate me when this happens as we wheelchair users only have ONE place we can use on a bus. People with buggies have other options available to them if they so wish. You are taking away our right to travel as you expect to travel.
Wheelchair Space 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 Supreme Court finally heard the case. 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 Rights Commission
The landmark 2017 Supreme Court ruling affirmed our right to these spaces. Yet, resistance persists.
Conclusion
Disabled people aren’t asking for special treatment—just the ability to live independently. You wouldn’t deny glasses to someone with poor eyesight, so why deny access to facilities essential for someone with mobility challenges?
Consider how your actions impact others before misusing accessible services. Respect makes a world of difference.
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