‘No longer can we ignore the unfair discrimination against disabled people’

Disabled people are being increasingly marginalised and shut out of society as they bear the brunt of Government spending cuts, the UK’s equality and human rights bodies have warned.

All too often, we are hearing about the appalling experiences that disabled people are facing across the country.

From depriving themselves of water just because there are not enough disabled toilets nearby, to being driven past by bus drivers who do not want to stop and pick them up because it is inconvenient.

There is also being excluded from bars and restaurants because there is no disabled access.

In extreme cases, disabled wheelchair users have resorted to having a catheter fitted due to the lack of accessible toilets – the list goes on.

Is this absent-minded behaviour just down to spending cuts? Or is that just a shift in blame from businesses who have not thought about providing inclusive access to all?

The fact of the matter is that many attractions, shops, bars, night clubs, buses, trains and festivals are singling out disabled people and further isolating them from society.

I can’t help but wonder whether this is just down to lack of knowledge on their part and if they were provided with training and made aware of how they are singling people out, they would act differently.

What if all of these places were accessible to disabled people and not to able-bodied people, would we demand change and find a way  to be included or stand by and just accept that we simply cannot eat in the new Italian restaurant or attend a local festival?

Jane, a trustee of Bristol-based charity the West of England Centre for Inclusive Living (WECIL), has spoken out about the experiences that some of the WECIL community have faced in Bristol. She has confessed that there are only a few places in Bristol where she can go and have a cup of coffee and use a decent disabled toilet.

Considering the staggering amount of cafes in Bristol, it seems unacceptable that only a few are actually accessible for all. Often a set of stairs or a narrow door way prevent wheelchair users from even entering the building, there is then the awkward moment of realising that there is also no accessible toilet inside either, which can end up in an embarrassing accident or a trip elsewhere.

Jane also discussed the shocking attitude from some shop owners who were extremely rude to other members of the WECIL community, reporting angry behaviour from shop owners because their wheelchair could not fit through the door. Concerned that the it may cause damage to the doorway, they insisted that the wheelchair user could not enter, leaving her distraught and upset.

This is yet another example of how society is cruelly isolating disabled people.

It has to be said that the venues that do offer good accessibility really do pave the way and offer great service and understanding of the access needed.

Pickle in Underfall Yard is named as a disabled-friendly place in Bristol

Jane mentioned that a particularly good place to visit was The Underfall Yard cafe in Bristol, with great accessibility and good coffee.

Although Bristol celebrates many festivals, from vegan food festivals to busy music events, the access for disabled people is often very excluding. Small, cut off sections of the festival mean that often the disabled attendees are left on their own and do not get to experience the excitement of the event.

Larger festivals such as Reading and Glastonbury have recently paved the way and achieved a gold standard status for disability access, including inclusive performances with sign language translators for all of the main acts so that everyone could enjoy the performances.

Perhaps this is something for Bristol and other cities to aim for in the future.

Festivals are a much-loved part of Bristol but could they be more accessible?

Yes, the public spending cuts play a large part in the isolation of disabled people, but to change and move forward, we need to change the attitude of businesses and organisations to ensure disabled people are more included. No longer can we ignore this unfair discrimination.

WECIL are striving to help businesses and communities create a more inclusive society to make sure that these experiences can become less frequent, by offering training and access audits for companies and organisations about how they can improve their accessibility and inclusivity.

WECIL are currently running free disability equality workshops in partnership with West of England Works for employers and employees.

The workshops will help people to gain a greater understanding of small, reasonable changes employers can make to ensure disabled people or people with long term health conditions can continue with their job and promote the benefits of recruiting disabled people and opening up a wider recruitment pool.

The first workshop will take place on November 9, we are encouraging local employers to book a space online.

I hope that people will start to see things from a different point of view and together we can help create a fairer and more inclusive world for everyone.

Lara Thomas-Nel is a marketing and communications officer for WECIL.

Read more: Disabled people have borne the brunt of austerity cuts