I'm a lower limb amputee and usually don't bother using the accessible loo but every now and then I have to take my prosthesis off and the accessible loo is the best place to do that. A couple of times when I've been queuing for the accessible bathroom I've been approached by someone else in the queue who uses a wheelchair and been told that this bathroom is 'for disabled people' so the discrimination isn't always from the non-disabled, it's from other disabled people who don't see me as disabled enough as I pass as able bodied if my prosthesis isn't showing. It's very upsetting. Having said that, this video is excellent Gem, thanks for all you do.
Yes, had similar scolding from the mother of a disabled teen in a wheelchair. Also have an invisible disability and I really did need to use that bathroom urgently. I think the wheelchair icon for disability misleads a lot of people. Now in large Westfield shops in Australia and some public ones, maybe due to COVID or transgender issues they have changed the signage to unisex, disabled toilets which makes my life easier. But it sucks being discriminated against by other people with a disability as well as those without issues.
I'm sorry that happened to you. That isn't right. I'll never forget the time my friend and I got "chewed out" by a lady in a wheelchair and her husband. They felt that I took too long in the bathroom (I didn't). It turns out that they needed the bigger bathroom that would accommodate the woman, her husband, and her TWO small emotional support dogs.
I never say anything to anyone using disabled restrooms or dressing rooms because I really do not know if they are disabled. I've seen perfectly healthy looking people coming out, but I try to think they have an invisible disability; it is not my place to judge them. If they realize they effed up, it is on them. Gem has really brought issues of all disabilities to the forefront. Thank you for sharing your story. We really cannot tell on the outside some people's disabilities.
I never judge people coming out of an accessible toilet that I'm waiting for because of invisible disabilities but the amount of people that have come out looking guilty and then say 'sorry, I didn't think anyone disabled would actually need it' is so frustrating!
I have an invisible disability and the amount of times I have been yelled at by people because I have to use accessible toilets and fitting rooms makes me mad. I just politely explain I have a disability and I am allowed in here. It is still never good enough for some.
I've had so many older women (60s or so) comment something along the lines of "it was bound to happen eventually" when exiting and seeing me sat waiting. Most people just don't think about other people until they're forced to face them, we're all guilty of it at some point.
I had a revelation once when I got grumpy about someone using the accessible stall to change (I had my 75 lb mobility dog with me, and there's no way he and I are both fitting in a tiny regular stall). When they exited the stall, I realized that *they were also disabled* and needed that stall to change. Felt like a total ass. It got me thinking though, why was I getting upset at others for using the stall, when I should be upset that there's only ever one accessible stall. Why don't we make larger stalls the norm? Put handrails on all of them? Even if you have some large, and some properly wheelchair accessible ones, it would cut down on the stress of not having an appropriate stall, *and* obviously non-disabled people enjoy them. Universal design. : /
I was forced to use the disabled stalls when my kids were small, can't fit a baby in a stroller in regular stalls and no room to take your toddler to the toilet in regular stalls either. Would have loved larger stalls to keep the disabled one free.
The only reason I can think of why they wouldn't do that, is greed. It would take up more floor space, and they don't want to cough up money to pay for it. At my local mall, that has at least 50 shops and cafes, it has just 1 accessible toilet... ONE!
Where there's space to do so, larger stalls should definitely be the norm. Even as an able-bodied person, I've sometimes struggled to get in and out of toilet stalls due to poor design. Or sometimes the toilet roll dispenser is setup so only contortionists can use it. I don't understand why you wouldn't design things to make them as easy to use as possible. Also, if you're paying for someone to install say a toilet in your establishment, would you not want good value for money?
@@kt5229 Yep, it is that way almost everywhere. What I think we need to do is start going to our local leaders and start advocating for ourselves. That is my New Year's resolution for 23'.
What I have never liked to do but was forced to do when my children were small, was use the disabled bathroom stall so I could take them to the toilet or myself go to the toilet because regular stalls are so small. I was always hurrying up, in case I'd block the access for someone disabled, but I was not about to leave my baby alone in it's stroller or let my toddler have an accident because we could not both fit in a regular stall. What I found the most stupid in bathrooms though was when the changing table for babies was placed inside the disabled stall and then you were forced again to block it's access for a disabled person. There should be a "family" stall which only needs to be larger then a regular one, without all the accommodations disabled people might need, so the disabled stall can remain free when a parent with a small child needs to use the toilet for themselves or the child. Sometimes there is a "family bathroom" but too often they combine it with the disabled bathroom.
@@whatshenupto4228 Yeah, large shopping centre that have a "central" bathroom do have that but not all shops are in big shopping centres. Not counting restaurants or other places you might bring your baby/young child with you.
Changing tables can def be for accessibility too. Many people need them. But they def should exist in all bathrooms. Including men's. For decades men with babies have gone into women's for the very same reason. When women's ones have them at all.
I once watched a man in a red sports car, get a ticket for parking in a disabled spot. He was literally throwing a tantrum, saying he was only going to a few minutes and other such crap. The fine can be $300. I just stood there and laughed at him
I confronted a man that decided to park in 2 disabled parking spots and had no pass. He told me if anyone needed the spot they could ask him to move. I replied " sure I'll find a further spot, get my chair out, come ask you to move, go back, put my chair away, then move to the safer spot and do the whole process over, just so you can illegally wait for someone". He immediately moved. I'm normally very nice but there was only 2 spots and he was sparky when I mentioned he was parked in 2. I hadn't even mentioned disability before he answered.
My brother has a friend who was paralysed in an accident when he was 17-18. He set up a business using the compensation payout and does very well from it. He *has* an adapted sports car, and really enjoys watching the expressions of people who have judged him for parking there change radically when he puts his wheelchair out!
I have fibromyalgia, i do not use aids like a cane or whatever but sometime when i am in real pain i need the accessible stall so i can pull myself up with the bars, and people usally say that i am too young to be disabled, that i use stall because im fat and not because im sick. please be carefull because there is invisible, or chronic ill person that use those stall and they dont need to explain there condition to ableist people. Thank you for that video and thank you to think of those like me who dont appear disable but they are. :)
As a cane user because of an unknown condition I love when the accessible bathroom clean and available. It makes it easier to move around and get up and down
Just last weekend I was queuing to use the disabled toilets at a service station just off the m25 and I had to endure a mum giving me verbal abuse because I was in front of her and she wanted her son to stay with her whilst SHE went to the toilet (not her son who was 8yrs …yes she told me). Thankfully I had my blue badge key and my prosthetic was VERY visible. I made sure to point blank refuse to speak to her( I had headphone on but no music so I could hear every abusive word coming out of her) Luckily a security officer came over and directed her to the public toilets with plenty of verbal resistance. She kept knocking on the door telling me to hurry up….so I took even longer, so that the security could remove her. I made sure that when I left, I locked the door with the blue badge key. She then came running after me and told me I should have be drowned at birth 😳 and should’nt be allowed out in public without someone with me 😳 Unfortunately this isn’t the first. Thanks for such a great post Gem 🤗🤗ps the disabled toilet at this service station was impeccable so clean, it had a hoist and a adjustable height changing bed and the red cord was hanging freely along with a intercom it’s by far the best one I’ve ever seen and used.
Agree with everything you say Gem. Another pet hate of mine is when shops stack displays in or at the ends of the aisles so you can’t get around to look at anything. 😮
I can't tell you how many times I have taken a few of those things out. They have them all over the stores, they block things I want to buy and some days they piss me off. Since I have requested them to stop doing that, I just don't care. If they go down, it is their fault. Too bad, so sad.
One of the stores where I live does that all the time - the first time, I mentioned it to a worker and he and a couple others immediately went to remedy the situation. The next time I mentioned it to someone (different person from the first time), he basically said, "there's nowhere else to store the extra inventory, so get over it". The next time that happens, I'm reporting them to the DOJ.
Whether you need the accessible toilet or not can vary from place to place. In my local Wetherspoon's, most of the toilets are upstairs. I find stairs difficult and painful so I use the accessible one on the ground floor. In the other pub I go to, the ladies toilets are on the ground floor and have quite large cubicles that I can use. I don't use the accessible toilet in that pub because I don't need to. I'm not misusing the accessible loo in Wetherspoon's, I need that accommodation in that location. Other people have variable conditions and they need different accommodations on different days. It's important not to judge or make comments because that person may have an invisible illness or disability.
I went to the ballet with my sister and mother. The usher asked me if I would stay in my chair. I said yes, she said something about me moving to the theater seat (another usher has already removed it since I was in an assessible seating row) then usher asked my sister if I could transfer to a chair because she didn't like my reply, my sister backed me up. Went to use the assessible/family toilet had to wait for an abled bodied man to get out of the toilet. As I was leaving the theater I had a group of people standing and chatting in front of the assessible ramp. I had to call out a few times getting louder each time before they realized I was there and moved out of the way so I could use the ramp. The stairs to the parking garage were locked so the abled bodied people had not choice be to use the elevator/lift. Parking garage has no assessible parking on the floor that my sister was required to park. So my the time I got to the car the other cars around me were gone so I was able to easily get into the car. Will I go to the ballet again next time? Heck yes. Was I embarrassed standing up for myself in these situations? No but I'm an older person so I don't get embarrassed the way I did when I was younger.
i'm appalled but not surprised that the usher tried to speak to someone else to override what you said you need, as if you aren't the authority in your disability. good think your sister at least repeated what you said.
I did a segment with ITV meridian last friday on the misuse of blue badge spaces. Its something im very proud to be a part of! It's great to see that in 2024 we are starting to bring light to disabled spaces and there uses. They arent just a reservation, they need appropriate amounts of space to manoeuvre. Whether you have a wheelchair or a guide dog etc.
Great video! There's so many things that irritate me when it comes to discrimination going from people questioning my disability or the tools I use to just flat out ableistic comments. The thing that people most often comment on is my service dog and more often than not it's things along the lines like 'it must be so nice to get to bring your dog everywhere' or 'do you really need that dog with you at all times'. My service dog isn't there because I just like bringing my dog or for anyone's entertainment. He is a lifeline for me in many ways from picking up dropped items to medical alert that either prevent medical emergencies in public or give me time to handle the emergencies. I never chose to need a service dog just like I didn't chose to need other medical tools, like a card for disabled parking (honestly the amount of crap I get for using it because I am young is just disgusting). The world still has a lot to learn and this video is a great way to educate in a non threatening way.
I frequently tell people that when you see a sign somewhere that says "handicapped accessible" what it actually means is...they have a sign that says "handicapped accessible". I also face the snide comments and looks because I don't " look handicapped " while I'm my 60s, I look younger (I also get questioned when asking for my senior discount) and my disabilities are mostly invisible. I also am able to stand briefly and even walk short distances with something to hold on to. But, I have severe balance issues, little sensation in my feet and am prone to sudden muscle spasms so, I fall quite easily. A broken hip or additional spine injury could be what takes even more mobility away from me. I don't go out in crowded public places often currently (I'm firmly in that high health risk group) but, it's a rare excursion that doesn't find aisles blocked with stock, displays etc. People parked across the lines in handicapped spots, handicapped restrooms that are not accessible for a multitude of reasons. But, at the moment my biggest gripe in my small town is sidewalks. While the few blocks of the downtown's sidewalks are good. There are basically no businesses, restaurants or shops there and NONE of them have accessible entrances. All have at least one or more steps to get in the door. I live a block from a Walgreens but, I have to use the street because the sidewalk is unusable. There is a great paved walking park a few blocks away but, no usable sidewalks to get me there.
I'm 31 and use a cane and sometimes a rollator on a bad day and even when I'm only bringing my can I have a friend who is always like "do you NEED that, you can just lean on me if you need to." I told him he doesn't have a strong enough arm to be of use to me... but he still says it. Yesterday, I went out without my cane because he makes me feel uncomfortable to go out with it, like it's in the way or something, and the second half of the night was really difficult 🙃 I'm also in more pain today because of it. I made a stupid choice.
My local shops disabled loo,is never cleaned properly,the door is very heavy and swings out into you. Because I use a rollator I got told to colourfully leave and I'm not disabled. I can mobilise but have fallen, black out.Due to cardiac and lung problems.
I have EDS, and most of the time I'm fully able to use regular bathrooms, but sometimes I just need to be able to access the bathroom as fast as possible. Sometimes it's just that I don't have the energy to stand around and wait for a regular stall to become available. Sometimes I'm in my wheelchair, and I need the space - even though I can stand up and walk over to the toilet. I don't want to park my chair outside the door!
This is a fab video. Thank you for adding in about invisible illnesses. I use different aids depending on how bad I am, to 2 sticks or my wheelchair. Both my children have invisible illnesses as well and are ambulatory wheelchair users. I have had people shout at us for using the accessible loos, that we need to use. I've had people wait in their cars or tap on my window when I pull into an accessible parking space and shout at me, saying I'm too young or the kids are too young. Asking what our conditions are to prove to them if we can use them. Its awful.
I hear you. Don’t have my wheelchair yet, but I get people telling me I’m too young to be disabled. … The kicker is that because I have EDS I look much younger than I actually am. So sorry that you and your kids are getting that negativity. Here’s some positive thoughts and feelings from Toronto, Canada. :-D
@GingerKiwi Bless you, thank you for your positive thoughts. My daughter may have EDS she has found it so much easier since she's got her wheelchair and ankle splints. I understand about the looking younger thing, people always think I'm much younger than I actually am. Enjoy the freedom of what your new wheelchair will bring.
@@TheMazinoz I don't know what it is either. I just looked it up. I knew a kid in school that may have had that. I remember him being very "flexible". I thought it was cool!
The LapSnap is pretty cool, but I wouldn't be able to use it because I can only put one arm behind my back. The other arm has bone-on-bone arthritis from 25 years of using a manual chair. Many years ago I created my own device for carrying things by using a basket (ok, I admit it, I've stolen one or two from stores), and a bungee cord with hooks on each end. The bungee cord goes behind me, and the hooks attach through the slits in the basket, or along each side. I do this for carrying my laundry basket, taking out my trash and for carrying big items to/from my storage room to my condo too.
Hi Holly! We're about to launch our version for those with limited upper limb mobility; if you sign up for our newsletter or email us, you'll be the first to know!
I shared it! I was recently on a university campus and was going to my car and a vehicle was parked in front of the lowered curb (yes, I am from the U.S.) and the people who owned the car were there. My wife politely asked them to move the car up a bit so I could get my power wheelchair off the 4” curb. The older woman apologized and started heading for the driver’s seat. The younger woman in her 30s got snotty and asked if I had to get off at this point. The closest lowered curb was at least 30 yards back the way we had come from. I thought for a moment that the woman was about to endure the rarely exhibited rage of diminutive wife, which I can tell you is more than a little frightening. But the older woman told the other to stand down and moved the car.
The lapsnap is a great idea. For those of us who use a cane or crutches, a sling pack/bag that can be slung over the shoulder so the bag is in the front, would definitely be helpful. I have a couple regular sling packs that I use. A dedicated sling bag would be great.
I'm always surprised when people have to mention bin placement. My town actually sends out reminders of where bins should be placed every month or so and they reserve the right not to collect bins that aren't placed where they should be. Sidewalk? Bin lined up with but not onto the edge of the sidewalk. No sidewalk? Bin lined up with but not onto the curb or edge of the road. Also, accessible tills. I used to work at a grocery store that had a brilliant solution that really should be more widely used. All of the register counters were height adjustable with the press of a button. The main idea was to put the cashier's workstation at the ideal height for them, but it did also mean we could adjust the height so that any customer could comfortably use the machine, collect their items off the counter, etc. We had a couple regulars who were wheelchair users and if we noticed them in line we would lower the counter before it was even their turn so the unloading belt was at a good height. It's not going to hurt the cashier to do 2-3 transactions at a significantly lowered counter in order to allow the wheelchair user coming through to use it comfortably, and then you just raise it back up after.
I have minor mobility problems but can usually use normal bathrooms except for a couple of places locally. One was the (now closed) Debenham shop where the toilets were so low I had great difficulty getting up from them. The other is the Sainsburys in St Albans where the perfume sprayer thing in the ladies was set to spray so much stink that it gave me an asthma attack - the disabled toilet was much better. Improving the standard bathrooms might mean fewer people with minor problems feel the need to use the disabled ones freeing them up for people with more problems!
That is the most accessible bathroom and hotel room I have ever seen in my life. Where I'm at, they're either just inaccessible or somewhat accessible. They might have one or two things accessible, but the rest is not. I've been a housekeeper for hospitals and hotels. I am not a wheelchair user, but it frustrates me knowing that wheelchair users will have to struggle using those bathrooms/hotel rooms I have seen. I also can't get over how you have emergency cords in your disabled bathrooms. The only place we have those here are in hospitals. Nowhere else. I have started using a cane recently which has helped me tremendously with my knees, hips, and back. Where I live, most people are accommodating so I haven't gotten too many stares. The only times where it was obvious people were staring was during a crowed event downtown, then recently in a store. In the store, a couple made it very obvious they were staring at me and didn't try to hide it. I came in and the wife sees me, starts staring and pointing at me and gets her husband's attention. Then they're both staring at me and talking about me, while the lady is still pointing. I know I am young and look much younger, but I'm sure I am not the first person with a cane you have ever seen. It doesn't bother me too much. I just worry about people who may be newly disabled and will get really uncomfortable with this. I also worry about my safety. As a deaf person, how do I know these people aren't going to come up behind me and assault me? It's a dangerous world out there.
I have literally had all of these issues thank you for making others aware. I have also shared this video to my Facebook page 😊 and hopefully the more people share and are fully aware use a bit of common sense. Also a couple of weeks ago I was waiting outside of a disabled toilet in my local shopping centre the person that walked out saw me looked so guilty then apologised. While I was in the disabled toilet I heard a thud against the toilet door, I nearly called out to let them know it was occupied when there was alot of shouting followed by more thuds lots of them. I suddenly realised it was a group of boys having a fight throwing each other against the disabled door. The cord was out of reach so I got angry and flung the toilet door open as hard as I could so I could get out of the Disabled toilet. As I drove out I over heard them saying f-ing idiot there was someone in there. Honestly I felt so scared but thankfully my power wheelchair is fast and I managed to flee there fight. It wasn't long before I saw security heading there way. It was also during school hours so they got thereselves into trouble for both truanting and fighting outside the disabled toilets 🤣 serves them right.
Omg I had a similar experience I was camping and had a shower and was doing my eyeshadow and someone was banning on the door multiple times so I left one eye lol it was a cleaner
Everything you said a thousand times Yes, thank you agreed!!🥰🥰👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽💯 The hotels with 'disability access' often are not that at all. Toilets too low, no commode or shower chair.. it's Russian roulette of slip, fall die. They also put our rooms in the worst part of the hotel, here in New Zealand, its at the back with no outlook, or by the public pool but with no access. Had someone come stand in front of me, on a footpath large enough for him to go anywhere. But nope, he stood there like I was furniture. Rude. Love the video, learning so much! 🥰🥰 Thank you.👏🏽👏🏽
A couple of years ago I had to travel from Welly to Whangarei and back. I was driving, so needed accommodation for the night... I did my research and triple checked the accessible room was actually accessible. I had to call them on the way up to let them know it would be an early evening check in, only to be told they'd realised I actually couldn't access the shower. It was too late to change to a different motel as they (accessible rooms) were all booked, so I said it was okay, as long as I can access the toilet and sink. When I got there, I realized they had neglected to tell me there was a big step to get into the room.... big enough that my wheelchair couldn't get over. So I had to call around other motels in the hopes that either an accessible room had become available, or that someone would have a room that might be compatible. I ended up having to drive another 2 hours, but luckily I didn't have to sleep in my car that night!
I have a brain injury and Mobility issues , I didn't use the disabled loo for ages but then I had a panic attack in a regular public loo , it was loud af with tinny music and I hurt my knees , and then my also disabled mum was like bro it's okay use the accessible loo .
Really good video, as someone with an invisible disability (autism), I thought you addressed these issues with the right amount of sensitivity. If I'm overwhelmed, I need to use the lift just get out of there quickly and away from everyone to get to where I need to go. The same if I need the toilet, which there doesn't seem to be enough of in public anymore. Also hope you're getting out and about ok at the moment. It snowed a lot where I live and because the council couldn't be arsed to grit anything, the remaining snow has basically turned to ice on all the pavements and side streets. I am not physically disabled but it's pretty ridiculous and dangerous having to walk in the road with the traffic to avoid falling over.
Are there any grit bins near you? The salt in these bins is intended to be used on public roads and pavements. If there are any particularly bad patches of ice, it might be worth sprinkling some grit on. The weather is also supposed to be warming up over the next few days, so that should melt a lot of the remaining ice.
I read that if you mix one gallon of water with 1/4 rubbing alcohol, and a 6 drops of dish soap, and pour it on the ice, it will melt. I've not tried it, but if it is that bad, you might be able to get some of if melted.
@@cbryce9243 That sounds bad for the environment and would potentially leave a puddle to refreeze and be even more icy. Why not just use salt which is proven effective, readily available and easy to use?
Loved your intro 😂 I'm not a member of the disabled community and definitely came here to be educated. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences!
Also being a parent does not entitle you or your kid(s) to use stuff specifically set aside for disabled people (unless you and/or your kid(s) are disabled). Had an instance where a mom started yelling at me because she wanted to bring her stroller into the accessible seating area for an aquarium show even though first, there were loads of available seats, and second, strollers were not permitted there and there was a “stroller parking” area like ten feet away. Thankfully after a bit, an employee told her to get rid of the stroller and to sit somewhere else but it was still frustrating (she also implied my cane was “fake” just because it had polka dots. I’m allowed fun colors on my accessibility devices!). I’ve had so many other situations too where parents think they’re entitled to accessible seating/parking/restrooms and unless it SPECIFICALLY says it’s also for parents or has a stroller sign on it, it’s not for you!
I've experienced variations of each of these things. People can be so rude and inconsiderate. These days my biggest irritations are stores. Like, my mobility varies over time, and often I have to shop either in my mobility scooter or with a walker/rollator. My scooter is quite wide and in the supermarket there are aisles I can't access because they're too narrow or the entrance is at a funny angle, there's only one cashier checkout that the scooter can fit down (it's specifically wider for disabled people), and they often just close it, so I have to risk ripping up the sides of my scooter to get out of the supermarket by going down the other checkout aisles. The eftpos machine is also high up so if my shoulders and arms are bad I can't reach it without hurting myself, and I can't see the screen. They do have a free little scooter that fits better in the store but it's really low with no suspension so it causes a lot of pain to drive in the shop, and shoppers don't see me so it's like playing dodgems. In smaller shops, particularly shops with lots of stock and cheap products, the aisles are often narrow and have products on the actual floor, so I can't even get my walker down them or turn around. A few years ago our local mall got a full refurbishment and they ripped out all of the benches. I couldn't go into the mall at all because at that time I didn't have a walker and I needed those seats to get through the mall to the shops I needed. They also changed the access to the toilets, instead of being close to the main areas, you have to go down a really narrow hallway that's not even straight to get to them. The disabled toilet is closer than the abled toilets, thank the gods, but on bad body days, my scooter is too big to go down the hall, particularly as there's no way to turn around at the other end. So sometimes I have to just either not go out at all, or hold on until I can find a more accessible toilet. There's also a store in town with a step up into it, and it's a heritage building so they're not required to modify for accessibility, I once asked the owner why they didn't put in a ramp (there's full funding available now and everything), and would you believe it?? The dude said "it's only one step". One step. At the time I could only just get in there, but one step wouldn't work now with the walker, and what about folks in wheelchairs?? I get so frustrated.
I'm a mobility scooter user and the amount of times people have parked across a dropped curb is so infuriating. There is even a house near me where the home owners park their car in front of the dropped curb, despite them having a driveway. Why block a dropped curb if you have a driveway? Also, I went into my local Premier News the other day, and they had left multiple boxes on the floor in the aisle. And I mean literally so many boxes that I couldn't get up it to get what I needed. And it's not the first time it's happened either. Thank you for all you do in highlighting the struggles that we disabled people face every day
My local Aldi store does this all the time with enormous wheeled carts. I have trouble getting past when just using a cane. Isnt it illegal to park across a driveway? My neighbour was booked for doing this on their own drive. Ditto cut curbs. Photo number plate and email it to Council or police.
I use a big bungee cord to secure a shopping basket, I put it around my waist and clip the ends onto the basket. It works really well and does the same thing.
@scifirocks Thank for sharing this insight with the community! The idea for this product was inspired by creative solutions such as yours and live testing with wheelchair users. We’ve expanded on this idea by adding padding to the base for comfort, making the bag collapsible for storage, adding pockets, providing a privacy/rain cover, designing the strap to improve stability, and creating a product that can be taken home at the end of the store run. Would you be open to trying out our product in exchange for feedback? We also have some future product ideas that we would love to share with you and get your thoughts on.
That bathroom is so nice. The most I’ve seen, here in Missouri, is the larger stall , the toilet higher up and positioned so a caregiver, such as myself, can get my mom onto the toilet. And rarely, a sink inside the stall. Only time I’ve seen a emergency call light cord, in a public restroom, is when we’re in the restrooms at the doctors office building. I’m not a wheelchair user, but I’m the primary caregiver for my mom who is
This is everything Gem, I've had horrors in every situation you mentioned! I am a wheelchair user and my biggest bug bear is when I'm parking my car in a blue badge space that has the pole with the disabled sign on it...guess what? I can't open my car down wide enough to get into my chair! 🙄
The accessible toilets in the UK look amazing. (Though the storing stock in them and other people using them and having sex in them seems universal.) Thanks for speaking up for invisible disabilities Gem! My preferred mobility aids (that I own) are Nordic walking poles. So I don’t “look disabled” when I’m using them. My canes are more to show other people when I’m taking transit or going out that I am disabled. It’s a trade off I wish I didn’t have to make and is one of the many reasons I’m working towards getting a service dog (in addition to the actual legal service dog tasks he will be trained to do). The best for going to events/museums is when I get to use a courtesy wheelchair. I have way more spoons. I don’t have to look for places to sit, I’m not dizzy, … and can go fast. For the past year I’ve been constantly noticing likely wheelchair accessibility barriers for when I finally have my own chair. There’s soooo many! Thanks so much for showing that accessible hotel room. I haven’t travelled yet with my newer accessibility needs and all the features and nice finish is taking some of the stress out of that. Next stop London!
That was a particularly nice one! I'd say the larger space, grab handles and pull cord are pretty standard, but a lot of the other things (like the little shelf and bio waste bin) are quite rare. If you do visit London, the tube map tells you which stations are accessible and I think you can also get a more detailed accessibility map. The buses are also wheelchair accessible in London. Accessibility on public transport can vary quite a lot across other parts of the UK though. All train stations should have a ramp for getting on and off the trains, but they require a member of staff to be available so you may wish to contact them in advance. If you find a helpful staff member at the station, they can call ahead to your destination to (hopefully) ensure someone is there to meet you. You can also request help with luggage or getting to your seat (some trains also have wheelchair spaces).
Gem you really are a Gem, and I'm so happy that you have made this video, 😍 I use a rollater walker and I'm fed up with people who don't care and just stop in the middle of the pavement or the phone zombies etc xxxx
For shopping I have a PYC Backpack which clips on to the back of my chair and i just throw stuff in as i go around shops nice and simple, won't fall off and still been able to move around.
The biggest pet hate I have here in Australia is that places with small toilet blocks such as fast food restaurants put the baby change table in the disabled toilet and not in the mens/woman’s as well - so parents have no choice but to block the disabled toilet as it is the only facility for babies.
Re. accessible toilets - the office building I work in has multiple sets of toilets on each floor, each end of the building. The set closest to my office has one wheelchair-accessible toilet. But then in the ladies’ toilets, there is one “regular” stall which has grab-rails & the door opens outwards. Which is a godsend for me due to my dyspraxia ‘cos I can actually navigate the heckin’ thing without rebounding off the walls….
The weird thing about using lifts is that sometimes it's the only way to get into a shopping centre. Last year, when my mum was recovering from chemotherapy treatment for cancer, we went shopping and had to park at the top of the parking building. There was stairs and a lift. My mum wasn't feeling great so she had to use the lift, and whilst we were waiting for it we had a couple of people come into the waiting area bit and go into the stairwell whilst looking at us weirdly. Hilariously though, my sister has an invisible disability which makes it really painful for her to use the lifts (ear pressure issues) meaning that she had to go down the stairs and meet me and my mum (I was with her because it was safer) at the bottom.
Or if there are stairs, they're really difficult to find and feel like you're not supposed to be using them! I prefer stairs over escalators or lifts (and am lucky enough to be able to use them), but often feel like it's a quest just to find a staircase in certain places.
One hotel I stayed at, the accessible room I'd booked was a bit of a nightmare for me. The room itself was lovely, spacious, well thought out. Unfortunately accessing the room was another story, long corridor (not everyone can walk that far), and 3 heavy, double fire doors that were impossible to open for me in my wheelchair; I had to phone reception to ask them to come open those doors for me so I could leave the room! They were very helpful, transfered me to a 1st floor room near the lift (no fire doors), removed 1 of the twin beds so enough space for my wheelchair (luckily I can walk a few metres, so I could use the shower) and transferred all my luggage for me. As I was checking out Monday morning they thanked me for 'highlighting the accessibility issues' and informed me that contractors would be replacing the firedoors the following day. But one thing that does bug me, every hotel I've stayed at, the accessible rooms are the furthest from the entrance, are they ashamed of us? Are they trying to hide us?
That would’ve been my dream come true a few years ago when I can still get out of the house. I’m hoping I will get it out of the house at the end with rehab and then I can hopefully get an important lap snap or they will be made in this country by then.
Hi Anika, so glad you like our product! We are always looking for distribution partners in other parts of the world to expand where we can ship to, where do you live? If you're ever in the US or know someone who's visiting, let us know and we can arrange a pickup!
Handicapped parking spaces where the establishment hasn't even shoveled the entire parking space (for reference, even our little prius didn't fit into the shoveled area), let alone the hashed area next to it, and there's 6" of snow on the ground. I'm darn tootin' sure the ADA has a section that basically says you are required to shovel/plow if the snow is making the accessible parking spaces inaccessible. The lady at the hotel front desk (we weren't staying there, we were just there for an event) didn't care one iota, but unfortunately it took so long for me to get inside from the car because the parking lot wasn't plowed, that I couldn't snap in her face that she better do something about it or else I would report her to the DOJ (some people won't bother following the law otherwise, and she was one of them). I think that's my only new one since commenting on the pet peeves video. Oh, that, and thresholds that you have to wheelie over while holding a heavy door open with one hand while on a ramp - yeah, that one pisses me off, especially because it wouldn't take hardly anything to make it so that isn't the case. Oh, and people who parked on the hashing getting mad because you parked in the handicapped parking space right next to the hashing (I legit had someone yell at me once for that, and I simply retorted, "you're parked illegally - that's a no parking zone") - more than once, I've purposely parked in such a way that made it just about impossible for them to get out (they had to fold their side mirror in in order to), because they parked illegally (no hangtag/license plate, and in a no parking zone - our handicapped parking spaces are very clearly marked, so it's impossible to miss that). I will even go so far as to leave the handicapped spaces that have hashing on the passenger side (R side here in the U.S.) open in case someone has a vehicle with a ramp, the only exception being if there are no other spots left, since I can walk some, so I don't always have my chair with me (I put in and take out my chair on the passenger side) - if I have my chair, I always take one with space on the passenger side, but if I don't have it, I try to leave them for people who might need the space on that side.
What do you think people can do better in 2023 to be more considerate towards disabled people? If you feel people could learn a little more from this video please share it. ♿VIDEOS YOU MAY ENJOY NEXT ♿ DISABILITY CHATS ua-cam.com/users/playlist?list... PARAPLEGIC LIFESTYLE ua-cam.com/users/playlist?list... BASIC WHEELCHAIR SKILLS ua-cam.com/users/playlist?list... VLOGS: LIFE ON WHEELS ua-cam.com/users/playlist?list...
The red thing that looks like a toy, is part of the steering. When you or child grab it, 500 lbs can hurt and I don’t have control. I don’t want to hurt anyone!
So many important points Gem! A small thing for an abled person can make a big difference to us, yet so many just dobt think, or worse, don't care. Thank you for all that you do for our community. 💜
This is a fantastic video, and covers so many of the issues facing disabled folks. I have secondary progressive MS, and while I am ambulatory I use a wheelchair if I have to cover long distances. Ridiculous thing is that, fur example, I don’t HAVE to use wheelchair accessible toilets fir reasons like you do, but when I’m doing a wheel based day (like this week visiting an art gallery) I feel obliged to do so. So I have experienced the heavy doors, awkward locks, puddles and almost inevitable stink. Please let me join you in making these points.
There was an issue in my town recently where to "fix" the roads, the council just took the top couple of layers of cement off. Which yeah, fixed the potholes. But created this problem where all of the dropped curbs had about an inch down to the road. Meaning that all of the dropped curbs that allowed people with mobility aids to cross a road safely are now no longer doing so. Also (not quite as important) people who had paid to have a dropped curbs at a driveway etc don't have one anymore. So the council are *supposed* to be coming back and fixing it all so that he dropped curbs are actually dropped curbs again.
I was at Disney world the other week. One good thing was the DAS pass as my friend and I both have different disabilities. But one annoying thing was my friend was in a scooter and due to back pain I was using her Walker and people kept walking right in front of us and I was constantly having to ask people to get out the way. People often weren’t paying attention to those around them. The biggest culprits were adults. I had to tell far more adults to move out the way than children. Adults should know better. Don’t just walk in front of a wheel chair/scooter/Walker, wait for them to go past.
I hated getting off the train after work, going to the lift to find dozens of able bodied people crowding me out of getting into the lift so they didn't have to use the stairs poor dears!!
Things are so much better now than in my childhood and youth, but I've never seen such a large, clean accessible disabled loo in my life. They are usually after thoughts in dingy corners with steep slopes, narrow turning spaces, and dirty. I've shared to my Facebok page.
@MazinOz Wouldn't call the coastal places I've visited inner cities nor the smallish town I live in now. In fact the only clean disabled loo I visited in the last 5 years was a small seaside town.
It's been 12 years since the Equality Act 2010 became law, and there are still employers and service providers who don't know that the "reasonable adjustments" required by that, are what's reasonable *for the disabled person*, not what's reasonable for the employer, service provider. Also I did not know that there were people who think that accessible toilets are private sex dungeons. What a sheltered life I've led... 🤣
@@Wheelsnoheels yes, I did. I'm helping a friend with similar issues with her GP surgery at the moment. The practice manager actually put in writing that the necessary adjustments were "preferential treatment".... hashtag oops...
It's very snowy here right now in Nebraska. So the thing that is bothering me most is the lack of properly clearing handicapped parking spots. Especially the first one in the row. It's ALWAYS the first one in the row that gets neglected on the driver's side. Which means that one can't park there AND get out of their car. My wheelchair is kept in my hatch, because I'm still ambulatory most days, but if I need to be able to just get from my car to the building, the difference between that first parking spot and the one way on the other side are going to decide if I take my chair that day. 😢
Also when in a wheelchair you can’t be seen by cars so if you have to go along the rows of cars it’s the same height as a small child and you could be hit by a car. Gem do you find that when the pavements have driveways on them it slopes, do you get pulled off the pavement, indeed any sloping on the pavements. Also whilst I’m on a moan our Christmas market was full of wooden cabins with big edges on them so couldn’t get over them. Marks and spencer by me has the escalators right next to the lift but still people fill the lifts up and I give up waiting.
@@cbryce9243 It's a garbage can (rubbish bin in Aus but I spent 15 years in the US 😁) where you have to use your foot to open the lid. If you can't use your foot, you have to pry the (usually gross) lid open with your fingertips. 🤢
@@sarahmacintosh6449 Thank you. I thought that might be what you meant but I wasn't sure. Trash bins should be like water and soap dispensers, like when it squirts out when you are near it, or just open. it's heavy doors I struggle with. They have push buttons to open front doors to get into buildings, but for bathroom, nope!
This is a great video, Gem! To be honest some of my issues are actually with other disabled people which is bonkers. Disability parking is always limited and I’ve often been forced to park further away with my walker because I couldn’t park closer. Until this year I’ve had mobility issues that come and go and I’m sure other people are in this boat too. But if you are in a period where you can actually walk further or aren’t using your mobility aid that day, maybe consider if you actually NEED that space today or if it would be better to save for someone else who doesn’t have that option. I’ve seen parents with a child in a wheelchair park in a disabled spot, leave the kids in the car and just walk in alone while I’m here, literally wobbling and hobbling by with my walker from a non disabled spot metres away when the person who they have the permit for isn’t even leaving the car. My other issue is people who are walking towards me, see me coming with my walker or walking stick and do not alter their course to avoid walking into me, so I have to step sideways instead to avoid them. This can be difficult and take a lot of energy to do but now that I have recently developed MS which massively effects my balance, gait and direction of walking, it’s sometimes not even possible to do. If you can walk around the person who clearly has compromised walking ability, do it! I’ve had people lock eyes with me and still make me be the one to move. Similarly, don’t cut a disabled person off suddenly.
Of course in an ideal world there would be enough spaces for everyone to use. I'm sure some places think that it's impossible to get multiple disabled people at once. Definitely just stop if someone isn't moving out of your way. You shouldn't have to be in any discomfort because they're inconsiderate or lazy.
I do understand about people not moving out of your path when they could. With MS, I find having to make (relatively) sudden changes in direction of walking (which I can do, but wobbly) tricky. And yes people using mobile phones are the worst.
I have recently found a car park in a north west suburb of Sydney (Castle Hill) that has only seven parking spaces. They are all disabled accessible ♿️ spaces. On my last visit I found all the spaces occupied by unauthorised vehicles. Six of the seven vehicles had their driver either in them or in conversation with a fellow driver. When I confronted them, I was made aware that they were all Uber drivers awaiting jobs to attend. Affectively an Uber taxi rank. Judging by the rotting takeaway food all over the cark park, it is also used as the Uber driver’s canteen/lunchroom. Despite numerous attempts to have this issue dealt with by the property owners of the shopping centre it services ( Castle Towers) and the local council (Hills Shire Council), whose responsibility it is to police the parking, nothing has been done. Why am I not surprised?
Its the drop kerbs that frustrate me. Some of them are not actually dropped enough and where I live I have to use people's drive ways to cross the road
Omg yes! Especially parking and phone zombies. And people stopping on cut kerbs (and doorways for that matter!) people have zero self awareness nowadays 😳
I use a walker and whenever I go to my local mall I can never get to used the handicapped stall because someone else is using it as a changeroom and a baby changeroom. Luckily there is an accessible bathroom there but every time I use it I feel like I am taking it up for someone else who needs it more than I do. Another problem I have noticed is non disabled people who use the door buttons and shop owners not fixing them making it extremely difficult for people like myself to open the door
I'm 17 and when I'm not using a mobility aid I look able bodied I was told off by a guy dressed as an elf who wouldn't let me use the lift he was like their are stair in ASOS , I had just left ASOS bc my fam had gone down the stairs and I couldn't , I had to go the long way around to find the escalator
Went through a time with Iceland Food store not opening their disabled wider access till & staff kept asking me to try the other till, they are not wide enough with displays & baskets either side. Even got the manager involved who also didn't want to open the till, something about it being too close to the door? Happy to say it's now usually manned & if for some reason it's not they now open till when asked. My persistence won.
I have fibromyalgia. But I fractured my heels back in the early 1990s and they have NEVER properly healed. This makes walking distances hard, even if people can't see them. I also damaged my knees and, while I can climb stairs, both up and down, it is hard now that I'm nearing 70. The thing about stairs is that for a few moments, all your weight is being pushed up or controlled down. I will use escalators because I don't have to use my knees and it does free elevators for those who can't stand on an escalator. Now, if a handicapped facility in a place is free, I will use it, but I do mean use, not change clothes or even change a baby (not that I ever had one.) In the last almost 30 years I have never had a disabled person waiting while I was in one. Now, I've never seen a public accessible facility have a sharps container and I have had to, on sadly more than one occasion, use my allergy shots. If a non-accessible stall had opened on the more serious time, I'd've been able to use that. In fact, I was ready to pull my jeans down and give myself the shot when the stall came free. (I'm pretty sure you know how a ladies' room at a theater of a newly released popular movie can get.) In this case, I did have to sit for several minutes after the shot to recover enough to walk, with my then roommate's - later wife's - help. Just to get to the lobby from the front of the theater, since she was very visually impaired, she was holding me up on one side and I was using the seats on the other, then the wall to get to where we could get to the bathroom.
Sometimes the only place where it's possible to change a baby is the accessible loo. It's not ideal, but often it's the only option if you don't want to change your baby on the floor of a public bathroom.
This is a great video. I definitely think you did it with plenty of sensitivity and tact. So that really annoys me is when people decide to stop and have a conversation in the middle of the hallway or stairs you would think that people might actually need to use the railing or need width wise of a hallway space for themselves and their service dog that doesn’t include the middle of it being taken up by people in conversation
I've actually just become a total recluse because I can't get around. I had both feet amputated this year and I live on the 2nd floor. It's almost impossible to leave my apartment. I don't have my prosthetics yet so getting around my apartment is done on my knees crawling or pulling myself around.
@@TheMazinoz I actually just found one! I'm moving at the end of next month. Unfortunately I couldn't get an ADA accessible unit but, no stairs is good for me.
It definitely makes me feel a little weird having to use the accessible bathrooms at my university, but they are the only ones available to me :/ (I don’t just mean because other ones are busy. I mean they are literally the only singular bathrooms in the entire building. Which I guess it’s good that the bathroom they put in is accessible, but I’m so used to the idea that I’m not supposed to use those ones.)
I used to go to the local baths to use the spa(hot was great for pains). I stopped because wheel chair access was near zero for the changing rooms. There was an accessible toilet/changing room but the ladies always used it as their own private changing room. I often had to spend over 1/2 hour (cold and wet after getting out of the spa) to get into the accessible changing room to shower and change. This of course negated going in the first place!! I often had ladies (usually in their 30's and house wives) have a go at me for 'blocking up' the accessible changing room by using it!! Gave up stopped subscription and never went back!
Keep hedges and overhanging trees off the pavement. I catch my hands, face in bushes and branches or have to go on road, same with temp roadwork signs and wheelie bins. I have a radar key to a disabled toilet but from my chair I cannot open the incredibly heavy door that needs pulling towards you, I have short arm length and no strength, you would think it would open easier or automatic
we have a big problem in the US with people trashing public bathrooms...and when you need the accessible one and its trashed, you have to wait a long time for it to be cleaned. stores refuse to regularly check bathrooms. 1 store was so bad, i reported it to the health department. as soon as I cracked the door the smell was sickening. They whined they didn't have housekeeping safe--well, then the manager should have done it. I worked as a housekeeper when I was able...It wasn't beneath me. Most accessible bathrooms in the US are just a larger stall in the general bathroom. There is no restriction on anyone using them. Etiquette is to get in and out quick..don't use it as a phone booth or otherwise camp out. I am ambulatory most of the time, but need the grab bars...and I can get in and out in 90 seconds.....It should be fine for anyone to use it as long as they are quick.
Hi Gem, this is my first comment on your channel , i am 40 and i was born stillborn , i was the passenger in a car accident in october 2005 where my side of the car got t-boned and i was bedridden for a year, and i was able to get my mobility back for a while but now i have progressive damage occuring to my back and i live on the second floor of my mom's house , while i can walk most days it's getting hard for me to get around , i'm considering getting myself a wheelchair for when i'm out in public doing my shopping or going to the movie theater. i am grateful to have a handicap parking placard and people give me grief all the time but i tell them i am completely legal and i leave it there. I look forward to more videos
One problem here in Norway is that the disabled toilet often doubles as the diaper changing room for babies. So if a mothere with a baby goes in there, it can well take half an hour or more.
I have a fear of the down escalator. If I go into a store that only has escalators or elevators I need to use the elevator. Also in a store like that it might be helpful if they had checkout places on every floor
Also don’t block the sidewalk that leads to the cut curb. I have been leaving events on my scooter and groups of people congregate on sidewalk right before the curb cut.
On the bins, not only could those putting out the bin be more considerate, the bin men could also be more considerate with where they leave the bins once they have been emptied. They can be just as bad as the householder.
+Wheelsnoheels *Thanks for the following rules of accessibility protocol:* 01:05 *1. Wheelchair-accessible toilets* 01:48 Example of now NOT to engineer a transfer WC installation - rails should've been on the near side, where carts and wheelchairs can manoeuvre. 04:03 *2. Disabled-accessible parking* 04:59 Disabled stalls should have 0.120m elevated gangways for TOMMY LIFT® or equivalent powered lifts. 05:50 *3. Droppable retail shelves consistent with the closet of +MissJessicaKH* - actually needed by wheelchair users. 08:17 *4. Wheelchair-accessible dressing rooms for clothiers* 09:07 *5. Wheelchair-accessible tills and/or register lanes* 10:01 *6. Integral ramps in sidewalks* 10:55 Example of access violation - no-sidewalk parking 11:18 Example of access violation - parking athwart ramp 11:39 Example of access violation - distracted pedestrian 12:02 Example of access violation - sanitation bin athwart pedestrian/wheelchair traffic 12:38 *7. Accessible rooms in hotels, apartments and comdominia* 14:57 *8. Wheelchair-accessible elevators* 15:38 *Summary* As the first autist in the OMS (viz., Oriental Missiionary Society) Holiness Church of North America (HQ: Los Ángeles, CA, USA), I've emotional disabilities that are invisible to building code. Japanese Christian Church of Walnut Creek (CA, USA) came due for refurbishment, and I've a concept for whole-Plant relighting that accommodates vision-restricted persons such as +MollyBurkeOfficial, plus re-signage to bring the Plant up to current code and a modified parking-lot rebuild that will extend gangways betwixt the "Disabled" stalls to be retrofitted. Unfortunately, not much can be done with the five washrooms, as the one all-gender washroom in the Christian-Education Wing cannot take a code-required roll-in shower (which has the side benefit of better containing spills for routine tile swabbing).
I do have to say that for a walker or rollator, the bumps on dropped curbs are a pain in the you-know-what as you feel those bumps every time. Since they are done for the visually handicapped, it is understandable and necessary, however. I have no idea if those bumps are felt by someone in a wheelchair. Another thing: phone zombies can be dangerous, but even if they see you in time, you are bracing while they come to you. No fun, for sure.
Great video Gem! A silent hour in stores would be great too. I‘m noise and light sensitive so it would be great if there were no music and less light in the store.
I wish the accessible hotel rooms in Canada were like that. They seem to think having a little extra room is fine, might be a roll in shower but that's usually about it.
I don’t know how people can be looking on their phones and walk. I’m clumsy enough when I’m walking and watching where I’m going. To be walking and not paying attention where I’m walking, I’d , at least, stepping into a puddle, and worse, falling
I recently moved from Canada to the Uk. The worst thing so far is that it’s allowed to park on the sidewalk. I can’t even go to the library on my own because there’s so many cars parked I’d have to stay on the road for basically the entire way. I’ve already almost been hit by a car that didn’t see me because I’m so low down when I’m in my chair. It makes me really sad. I feel like I’ve lost a lot of independence because I can’t go anywhere by myself anymore
At college, we have a disabled toilet that isn't really a disabled toilet if that makes sense? It's in the same room and on the same row as the other non-disabled cubicles - it's just ever so slightly wider with minimal adjustments (the door opens outwards to make it easier for people with mobility aids to get in - though there's absolutely no room whatsoever to transfer from a wheelchair and no red emergency cord, the toilet is higher up, there's a grab rail on the door and the coat hook is lower down). There are proper disabled toilets elsewhere on campus, just not in this building (which is the main building) as far as I'm aware. Anyways - because there's virtually no effort made to make it a proper disabled toilet, many non-disabled people will use it just like they would with any of the other toilets. I've recently started using a rollator and so I've been using this toilet exclusively - on my first day of using my rollator, I had to wait 5 minutes for the disabled toilet (the toilets are never busy so at most you usually have to wait a minute or two) because 2 girls were just sat in there having a laugh. Doesn't help that they decided to put the panty-liner bin on top of the toilet, which was about as disgusting as it sounds. You should've seen their faces when they saw me standing there with my rollator - they didn't say anything but their faces said it all lol. I can laugh about it now, but I really hope their embarassment was enough to teach them that toilets aren't exactly the best place to socialize whilst someone's waiting to go for a piss 11:39 On that note as well - I just don't understand how people can be on their phone whilst trying to walk somewhere? Especially in this day and age, we *need* to have decent situational awareness to keep ourselves and others safe - there's absolutely *no* way you can do that if your eyes are glued to your phone. At most, I'll use my phone whilst walking if I'm trying to ring someone, but I'm *constantly* looking up and around whilst I'm finding them in my contacts list so that I'm fully aware of what's going on around me. It's incredibly rare for me to need to text someone so urgently that it can't wait till I'm in the car or on the bus, but if it ever does happen, I always wait until I can get to a safe location to park my rollator whilst also leaving enough room for people to get around me. I just don't understand how that's *so* difficult for people to do lol
LOL I had recently been thinking about a design like the lap snap (a different method for keeping it stable) so it's great to see someone else has come up with a similar idea and got it onto the market .. perhaps it will reach Oz one day.
Thank you for acknowledging those of us with invisible disabilities.
I'm a lower limb amputee and usually don't bother using the accessible loo but every now and then I have to take my prosthesis off and the accessible loo is the best place to do that. A couple of times when I've been queuing for the accessible bathroom I've been approached by someone else in the queue who uses a wheelchair and been told that this bathroom is 'for disabled people' so the discrimination isn't always from the non-disabled, it's from other disabled people who don't see me as disabled enough as I pass as able bodied if my prosthesis isn't showing. It's very upsetting. Having said that, this video is excellent Gem, thanks for all you do.
Thank you for your comment. I’m sorry you experience this from our community. I hope we can all learn a bit more. I know I have over the years. 🙏🏼
Yes, had similar scolding from the mother of a disabled teen in a wheelchair. Also have an invisible disability and I really did need to use that bathroom urgently. I think the wheelchair icon for disability misleads a lot of people. Now in large Westfield shops in Australia and some public ones, maybe due to COVID or transgender issues they have changed the signage to unisex, disabled toilets which makes my life easier. But it sucks being discriminated against by other people with a disability as well as those without issues.
I'm sorry that happened to you. That isn't right. I'll never forget the time my friend and I got "chewed out" by a lady in a wheelchair and her husband. They felt that I took too long in the bathroom (I didn't). It turns out that they needed the bigger bathroom that would accommodate the woman, her husband, and her TWO small emotional support dogs.
I never say anything to anyone using disabled restrooms or dressing rooms because I really do not know if they are disabled. I've seen perfectly healthy looking people coming out, but I try to think they have an invisible disability; it is not my place to judge them. If they realize they effed up, it is on them.
Gem has really brought issues of all disabilities to the forefront. Thank you for sharing your story. We really cannot tell on the outside some people's disabilities.
I'm in a wheelchair and need the accessible restroom whether I'm in the chair or with my cane.
I never judge people coming out of an accessible toilet that I'm waiting for because of invisible disabilities but the amount of people that have come out looking guilty and then say 'sorry, I didn't think anyone disabled would actually need it' is so frustrating!
Thank you 😘, I have invisible disabilities plus a certain disease so that I offen need a toilet very quickly. Thank you for not judging 👍🏽😊😘
I have an invisible disability and the amount of times I have been yelled at by people because I have to use accessible toilets and fitting rooms makes me mad. I just politely explain I have a disability and I am allowed in here. It is still never good enough for some.
@Emily Perez people like that make me so mad! It must be scary for you to be in that situation too
I've had so many older women (60s or so) comment something along the lines of "it was bound to happen eventually" when exiting and seeing me sat waiting. Most people just don't think about other people until they're forced to face them, we're all guilty of it at some point.
I had a revelation once when I got grumpy about someone using the accessible stall to change (I had my 75 lb mobility dog with me, and there's no way he and I are both fitting in a tiny regular stall). When they exited the stall, I realized that *they were also disabled* and needed that stall to change. Felt like a total ass. It got me thinking though, why was I getting upset at others for using the stall, when I should be upset that there's only ever one accessible stall. Why don't we make larger stalls the norm? Put handrails on all of them? Even if you have some large, and some properly wheelchair accessible ones, it would cut down on the stress of not having an appropriate stall, *and* obviously non-disabled people enjoy them. Universal design. : /
I was forced to use the disabled stalls when my kids were small, can't fit a baby in a stroller in regular stalls and no room to take your toddler to the toilet in regular stalls either. Would have loved larger stalls to keep the disabled one free.
The only reason I can think of why they wouldn't do that, is greed. It would take up more floor space, and they don't want to cough up money to pay for it. At my local mall, that has at least 50 shops and cafes, it has just 1 accessible toilet... ONE!
Where there's space to do so, larger stalls should definitely be the norm. Even as an able-bodied person, I've sometimes struggled to get in and out of toilet stalls due to poor design. Or sometimes the toilet roll dispenser is setup so only contortionists can use it.
I don't understand why you wouldn't design things to make them as easy to use as possible. Also, if you're paying for someone to install say a toilet in your establishment, would you not want good value for money?
great point.
@@kt5229 Yep, it is that way almost everywhere. What I think we need to do is start going to our local leaders and start advocating for ourselves. That is my New Year's resolution for 23'.
What I have never liked to do but was forced to do when my children were small, was use the disabled bathroom stall so I could take them to the toilet or myself go to the toilet because regular stalls are so small. I was always hurrying up, in case I'd block the access for someone disabled, but I was not about to leave my baby alone in it's stroller or let my toddler have an accident because we could not both fit in a regular stall. What I found the most stupid in bathrooms though was when the changing table for babies was placed inside the disabled stall and then you were forced again to block it's access for a disabled person.
There should be a "family" stall which only needs to be larger then a regular one, without all the accommodations disabled people might need, so the disabled stall can remain free when a parent with a small child needs to use the toilet for themselves or the child. Sometimes there is a "family bathroom" but too often they combine it with the disabled bathroom.
My local shopping centre multi story has just that built in.
@@whatshenupto4228 Yeah, large shopping centre that have a "central" bathroom do have that but not all shops are in big shopping centres. Not counting restaurants or other places you might bring your baby/young child with you.
@Isabelle Blanchet When I moved to my present town, it's the first I'd seen such a loo. (and my current town much smaller than my last)
as a disabled person, i would have no issues with parents with little ones using the larger stalls.
Changing tables can def be for accessibility too. Many people need them. But they def should exist in all bathrooms. Including men's. For decades men with babies have gone into women's for the very same reason. When women's ones have them at all.
I once watched a man in a red sports car, get a ticket for parking in a disabled spot. He was literally throwing a tantrum, saying he was only going to a few minutes and other such crap. The fine can be $300. I just stood there and laughed at him
I confronted a man that decided to park in 2 disabled parking spots and had no pass. He told me if anyone needed the spot they could ask him to move. I replied " sure I'll find a further spot, get my chair out, come ask you to move, go back, put my chair away, then move to the safer spot and do the whole process over, just so you can illegally wait for someone". He immediately moved. I'm normally very nice but there was only 2 spots and he was sparky when I mentioned he was parked in 2. I hadn't even mentioned disability before he answered.
My brother has a friend who was paralysed in an accident when he was 17-18. He set up a business using the compensation payout and does very well from it. He *has* an adapted sports car, and really enjoys watching the expressions of people who have judged him for parking there change radically when he puts his wheelchair out!
@@gidgethebert8670 he wasn’t aware and you made him aware and it sounds like it worked! Seems like you were being nice 🙂
I have fibromyalgia, i do not use aids like a cane or whatever but sometime when i am in real pain i need the accessible stall so i can pull myself up with the bars, and people usally say that i am too young to be disabled, that i use stall because im fat and not because im sick. please be carefull because there is invisible, or chronic ill person that use those stall and they dont need to explain there condition to ableist people. Thank you for that video and thank you to think of those like me who dont appear disable but they are. :)
As a cane user because of an unknown condition I love when the accessible bathroom clean and available. It makes it easier to move around and get up and down
Just last weekend I was queuing to use the disabled toilets at a service station just off the m25 and I had to endure a mum giving me verbal abuse because I was in front of her and she wanted her son to stay with her whilst SHE went to the toilet (not her son who was 8yrs …yes she told me). Thankfully I had my blue badge key and my prosthetic was VERY visible. I made sure to point blank refuse to speak to her( I had headphone on but no music so I could hear every abusive word coming out of her) Luckily a security officer came over and directed her to the public toilets with plenty of verbal resistance. She kept knocking on the door telling me to hurry up….so I took even longer, so that the security could remove her. I made sure that when I left, I locked the door with the blue badge key. She then came running after me and told me I should have be drowned at birth 😳 and should’nt be allowed out in public without someone with me 😳 Unfortunately this isn’t the first. Thanks for such a great post Gem 🤗🤗ps the disabled toilet at this service station was impeccable so clean, it had a hoist and a adjustable height changing bed and the red cord was hanging freely along with a intercom it’s by far the best one I’ve ever seen and used.
Really time more countries had and enforced law like the ADA
It sounds like she shouldn't have been out in public! I feel sorry for her child growing up in that environment.
@@hannahk1306 i completely agree 😁
The guy all up in your business in the background during the ad just really drove the point of the video home I think -chef's kiss-
Agree with everything you say Gem. Another pet hate of mine is when shops stack displays in or at the ends of the aisles so you can’t get around to look at anything. 😮
I can't tell you how many times I have taken a few of those things out. They have them all over the stores, they block things I want to buy and some days they piss me off. Since I have requested them to stop doing that, I just don't care. If they go down, it is their fault. Too bad, so sad.
One of the stores where I live does that all the time - the first time, I mentioned it to a worker and he and a couple others immediately went to remedy the situation. The next time I mentioned it to someone (different person from the first time), he basically said, "there's nowhere else to store the extra inventory, so get over it". The next time that happens, I'm reporting them to the DOJ.
@@SnowySpiritRuby I never would have thought of that, great idea!
@@cbryce9243 I have the DOJ form bookmarked on my browser, so the next time it happens (there or anywhere else), I'll be ready.
@@SnowySpiritRuby Wow, you are organized!
Whether you need the accessible toilet or not can vary from place to place. In my local Wetherspoon's, most of the toilets are upstairs. I find stairs difficult and painful so I use the accessible one on the ground floor. In the other pub I go to, the ladies toilets are on the ground floor and have quite large cubicles that I can use. I don't use the accessible toilet in that pub because I don't need to.
I'm not misusing the accessible loo in Wetherspoon's, I need that accommodation in that location. Other people have variable conditions and they need different accommodations on different days. It's important not to judge or make comments because that person may have an invisible illness or disability.
I went to the ballet with my sister and mother.
The usher asked me if I would stay in my chair. I said yes, she said something about me moving to the theater seat (another usher has already removed it since I was in an assessible seating row) then usher asked my sister if I could transfer to a chair because she didn't like my reply, my sister backed me up.
Went to use the assessible/family toilet had to wait for an abled bodied man to get out of the toilet.
As I was leaving the theater I had a group of people standing and chatting in front of the assessible ramp. I had to call out a few times getting louder each time before they realized I was there and moved out of the way so I could use the ramp.
The stairs to the parking garage were locked so the abled bodied people had not choice be to use the elevator/lift.
Parking garage has no assessible parking on the floor that my sister was required to park. So my the time I got to the car the other cars around me were gone so I was able to easily get into the car. Will I go to the ballet again next time? Heck yes. Was I embarrassed standing up for myself in these situations? No but I'm an older person so I don't get embarrassed the way I did when I was younger.
i'm appalled but not surprised that the usher tried to speak to someone else to override what you said you need, as if you aren't the authority in your disability. good think your sister at least repeated what you said.
@@58209 My sister is awesome she always has my back.
I did a segment with ITV meridian last friday on the misuse of blue badge spaces. Its something im very proud to be a part of! It's great to see that in 2024 we are starting to bring light to disabled spaces and there uses. They arent just a reservation, they need appropriate amounts of space to manoeuvre. Whether you have a wheelchair or a guide dog etc.
Great video!
There's so many things that irritate me when it comes to discrimination going from people questioning my disability or the tools I use to just flat out ableistic comments. The thing that people most often comment on is my service dog and more often than not it's things along the lines like 'it must be so nice to get to bring your dog everywhere' or 'do you really need that dog with you at all times'. My service dog isn't there because I just like bringing my dog or for anyone's entertainment. He is a lifeline for me in many ways from picking up dropped items to medical alert that either prevent medical emergencies in public or give me time to handle the emergencies. I never chose to need a service dog just like I didn't chose to need other medical tools, like a card for disabled parking (honestly the amount of crap I get for using it because I am young is just disgusting).
The world still has a lot to learn and this video is a great way to educate in a non threatening way.
I frequently tell people that when you see a sign somewhere that says "handicapped accessible" what it actually means is...they have a sign that says "handicapped accessible". I also face the snide comments and looks because I don't " look handicapped " while I'm my 60s, I look younger (I also get questioned when asking for my senior discount) and my disabilities are mostly invisible. I also am able to stand briefly and even walk short distances with something to hold on to. But, I have severe balance issues, little sensation in my feet and am prone to sudden muscle spasms so, I fall quite easily. A broken hip or additional spine injury could be what takes even more mobility away from me. I don't go out in crowded public places often currently (I'm firmly in that high health risk group) but, it's a rare excursion that doesn't find aisles blocked with stock, displays etc. People parked across the lines in handicapped spots, handicapped restrooms that are not accessible for a multitude of reasons. But, at the moment my biggest gripe in my small town is sidewalks. While the few blocks of the downtown's sidewalks are good. There are basically no businesses, restaurants or shops there and NONE of them have accessible entrances. All have at least one or more steps to get in the door. I live a block from a Walgreens but, I have to use the street because the sidewalk is unusable. There is a great paved walking park a few blocks away but, no usable sidewalks to get me there.
I'm 31 and use a cane and sometimes a rollator on a bad day and even when I'm only bringing my can I have a friend who is always like "do you NEED that, you can just lean on me if you need to." I told him he doesn't have a strong enough arm to be of use to me... but he still says it. Yesterday, I went out without my cane because he makes me feel uncomfortable to go out with it, like it's in the way or something, and the second half of the night was really difficult 🙃 I'm also in more pain today because of it. I made a stupid choice.
My local shops disabled loo,is never cleaned properly,the door is very heavy and swings out into you.
Because I use a rollator I got told to colourfully leave and I'm not disabled.
I can mobilise but have fallen, black out.Due to cardiac and lung problems.
I have EDS, and most of the time I'm fully able to use regular bathrooms, but sometimes I just need to be able to access the bathroom as fast as possible. Sometimes it's just that I don't have the energy to stand around and wait for a regular stall to become available. Sometimes I'm in my wheelchair, and I need the space - even though I can stand up and walk over to the toilet. I don't want to park my chair outside the door!
This is a fab video. Thank you for adding in about invisible illnesses. I use different aids depending on how bad I am, to 2 sticks or my wheelchair. Both my children have invisible illnesses as well and are ambulatory wheelchair users. I have had people shout at us for using the accessible loos, that we need to use. I've had people wait in their cars or tap on my window when I pull into an accessible parking space and shout at me, saying I'm too young or the kids are too young. Asking what our conditions are to prove to them if we can use them. Its awful.
I hear you. Don’t have my wheelchair yet, but I get people telling me I’m too young to be disabled. … The kicker is that because I have EDS I look much younger than I actually am. So sorry that you and your kids are getting that negativity. Here’s some positive thoughts and feelings from Toronto, Canada. :-D
@GingerKiwi Bless you, thank you for your positive thoughts. My daughter may have EDS she has found it so much easier since she's got her wheelchair and ankle splints. I understand about the looking younger thing, people always think I'm much younger than I actually am. Enjoy the freedom of what your new wheelchair will bring.
@@GingerKiwiDev Even doctors don't understand EDS. Grhh!
Wow, this is proof that education is desperately needed!
@@TheMazinoz I don't know what it is either. I just looked it up. I knew a kid in school that may have had that. I remember him being very "flexible". I thought it was cool!
The LapSnap is pretty cool, but I wouldn't be able to use it because I can only put one arm behind my back. The other arm has bone-on-bone arthritis from 25 years of using a manual chair. Many years ago I created my own device for carrying things by using a basket (ok, I admit it, I've stolen one or two from stores), and a bungee cord with hooks on each end. The bungee cord goes behind me, and the hooks attach through the slits in the basket, or along each side. I do this for carrying my laundry basket, taking out my trash and for carrying big items to/from my storage room to my condo too.
Hi Holly! We're about to launch our version for those with limited upper limb mobility; if you sign up for our newsletter or email us, you'll be the first to know!
I shared it! I was recently on a university campus and was going to my car and a vehicle was parked in front of the lowered curb (yes, I am from the U.S.) and the people who owned the car were there. My wife politely asked them to move the car up a bit so I could get my power wheelchair off the 4” curb. The older woman apologized and started heading for the driver’s seat. The younger woman in her 30s got snotty and asked if I had to get off at this point. The closest lowered curb was at least 30 yards back the way we had come from. I thought for a moment that the woman was about to endure the rarely exhibited rage of diminutive wife, which I can tell you is more than a little frightening. But the older woman told the other to stand down and moved the car.
The lapsnap is a great idea. For those of us who use a cane or crutches, a sling pack/bag that can be slung over the shoulder so the bag is in the front, would definitely be helpful. I have a couple regular sling packs that I use. A dedicated sling bag would be great.
The Lapsnap looks like a game changer. I'll look forward to seeing when it's available in the UK.
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I'm always surprised when people have to mention bin placement. My town actually sends out reminders of where bins should be placed every month or so and they reserve the right not to collect bins that aren't placed where they should be. Sidewalk? Bin lined up with but not onto the edge of the sidewalk. No sidewalk? Bin lined up with but not onto the curb or edge of the road.
Also, accessible tills. I used to work at a grocery store that had a brilliant solution that really should be more widely used. All of the register counters were height adjustable with the press of a button. The main idea was to put the cashier's workstation at the ideal height for them, but it did also mean we could adjust the height so that any customer could comfortably use the machine, collect their items off the counter, etc. We had a couple regulars who were wheelchair users and if we noticed them in line we would lower the counter before it was even their turn so the unloading belt was at a good height. It's not going to hurt the cashier to do 2-3 transactions at a significantly lowered counter in order to allow the wheelchair user coming through to use it comfortably, and then you just raise it back up after.
I have minor mobility problems but can usually use normal bathrooms except for a couple of places locally. One was the (now closed) Debenham shop where the toilets were so low I had great difficulty getting up from them. The other is the Sainsburys in St Albans where the perfume sprayer thing in the ladies was set to spray so much stink that it gave me an asthma attack - the disabled toilet was much better. Improving the standard bathrooms might mean fewer people with minor problems feel the need to use the disabled ones freeing them up for people with more problems!
Oooo this is very useful. Thank you for sharing 😀
That is the most accessible bathroom and hotel room I have ever seen in my life. Where I'm at, they're either just inaccessible or somewhat accessible. They might have one or two things accessible, but the rest is not. I've been a housekeeper for hospitals and hotels. I am not a wheelchair user, but it frustrates me knowing that wheelchair users will have to struggle using those bathrooms/hotel rooms I have seen. I also can't get over how you have emergency cords in your disabled bathrooms. The only place we have those here are in hospitals. Nowhere else.
I have started using a cane recently which has helped me tremendously with my knees, hips, and back. Where I live, most people are accommodating so I haven't gotten too many stares. The only times where it was obvious people were staring was during a crowed event downtown, then recently in a store. In the store, a couple made it very obvious they were staring at me and didn't try to hide it. I came in and the wife sees me, starts staring and pointing at me and gets her husband's attention. Then they're both staring at me and talking about me, while the lady is still pointing. I know I am young and look much younger, but I'm sure I am not the first person with a cane you have ever seen. It doesn't bother me too much. I just worry about people who may be newly disabled and will get really uncomfortable with this. I also worry about my safety. As a deaf person, how do I know these people aren't going to come up behind me and assault me? It's a dangerous world out there.
I have literally had all of these issues thank you for making others aware. I have also shared this video to my Facebook page 😊 and hopefully the more people share and are fully aware use a bit of common sense. Also a couple of weeks ago I was waiting outside of a disabled toilet in my local shopping centre the person that walked out saw me looked so guilty then apologised. While I was in the disabled toilet I heard a thud against the toilet door, I nearly called out to let them know it was occupied when there was alot of shouting followed by more thuds lots of them. I suddenly realised it was a group of boys having a fight throwing each other against the disabled door. The cord was out of reach so I got angry and flung the toilet door open as hard as I could so I could get out of the Disabled toilet. As I drove out I over heard them saying f-ing idiot there was someone in there. Honestly I felt so scared but thankfully my power wheelchair is fast and I managed to flee there fight. It wasn't long before I saw security heading there way. It was also during school hours so they got thereselves into trouble for both truanting and fighting outside the disabled toilets 🤣 serves them right.
Omg I had a similar experience I was camping and had a shower and was doing my eyeshadow and someone was banning on the door multiple times so I left one eye lol it was a cleaner
Scary!
Everything you said a thousand times Yes, thank you agreed!!🥰🥰👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽💯 The hotels with 'disability access' often are not that at all. Toilets too low, no commode or shower chair.. it's Russian roulette of slip, fall die. They also put our rooms in the worst part of the hotel, here in New Zealand, its at the back with no outlook, or by the public pool but with no access. Had someone come stand in front of me, on a footpath large enough for him to go anywhere. But nope, he stood there like I was furniture. Rude. Love the video, learning so much! 🥰🥰 Thank you.👏🏽👏🏽
A couple of years ago I had to travel from Welly to Whangarei and back. I was driving, so needed accommodation for the night... I did my research and triple checked the accessible room was actually accessible. I had to call them on the way up to let them know it would be an early evening check in, only to be told they'd realised I actually couldn't access the shower. It was too late to change to a different motel as they (accessible rooms) were all booked, so I said it was okay, as long as I can access the toilet and sink. When I got there, I realized they had neglected to tell me there was a big step to get into the room.... big enough that my wheelchair couldn't get over. So I had to call around other motels in the hopes that either an accessible room had become available, or that someone would have a room that might be compatible. I ended up having to drive another 2 hours, but luckily I didn't have to sleep in my car that night!
Thank you again, Gem, you make my life a bit easier
I have a brain injury and Mobility issues , I didn't use the disabled loo for ages but then I had a panic attack in a regular public loo , it was loud af with tinny music and I hurt my knees , and then my also disabled mum was like bro it's okay use the accessible loo .
Really good video, as someone with an invisible disability (autism), I thought you addressed these issues with the right amount of sensitivity. If I'm overwhelmed, I need to use the lift just get out of there quickly and away from everyone to get to where I need to go. The same if I need the toilet, which there doesn't seem to be enough of in public anymore. Also hope you're getting out and about ok at the moment. It snowed a lot where I live and because the council couldn't be arsed to grit anything, the remaining snow has basically turned to ice on all the pavements and side streets. I am not physically disabled but it's pretty ridiculous and dangerous having to walk in the road with the traffic to avoid falling over.
Are there any grit bins near you? The salt in these bins is intended to be used on public roads and pavements. If there are any particularly bad patches of ice, it might be worth sprinkling some grit on.
The weather is also supposed to be warming up over the next few days, so that should melt a lot of the remaining ice.
One slip on that ice and you could quickly become a wheelchair user! Be careful!
I read that if you mix one gallon of water with 1/4 rubbing alcohol, and a 6 drops of dish soap, and pour it on the ice, it will melt. I've not tried it, but if it is that bad, you might be able to get some of if melted.
@@cbryce9243 That sounds bad for the environment and would potentially leave a puddle to refreeze and be even more icy. Why not just use salt which is proven effective, readily available and easy to use?
Loved your intro 😂 I'm not a member of the disabled community and definitely came here to be educated. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences!
Thanks so much for being a great ally!
Also being a parent does not entitle you or your kid(s) to use stuff specifically set aside for disabled people (unless you and/or your kid(s) are disabled). Had an instance where a mom started yelling at me because she wanted to bring her stroller into the accessible seating area for an aquarium show even though first, there were loads of available seats, and second, strollers were not permitted there and there was a “stroller parking” area like ten feet away. Thankfully after a bit, an employee told her to get rid of the stroller and to sit somewhere else but it was still frustrating (she also implied my cane was “fake” just because it had polka dots. I’m allowed fun colors on my accessibility devices!). I’ve had so many other situations too where parents think they’re entitled to accessible seating/parking/restrooms and unless it SPECIFICALLY says it’s also for parents or has a stroller sign on it, it’s not for you!
Thank you Gem! And thanks to Shaun and DB too for helping you to make these videos.
I've experienced variations of each of these things. People can be so rude and inconsiderate.
These days my biggest irritations are stores. Like, my mobility varies over time, and often I have to shop either in my mobility scooter or with a walker/rollator. My scooter is quite wide and in the supermarket there are aisles I can't access because they're too narrow or the entrance is at a funny angle, there's only one cashier checkout that the scooter can fit down (it's specifically wider for disabled people), and they often just close it, so I have to risk ripping up the sides of my scooter to get out of the supermarket by going down the other checkout aisles. The eftpos machine is also high up so if my shoulders and arms are bad I can't reach it without hurting myself, and I can't see the screen. They do have a free little scooter that fits better in the store but it's really low with no suspension so it causes a lot of pain to drive in the shop, and shoppers don't see me so it's like playing dodgems. In smaller shops, particularly shops with lots of stock and cheap products, the aisles are often narrow and have products on the actual floor, so I can't even get my walker down them or turn around. A few years ago our local mall got a full refurbishment and they ripped out all of the benches. I couldn't go into the mall at all because at that time I didn't have a walker and I needed those seats to get through the mall to the shops I needed. They also changed the access to the toilets, instead of being close to the main areas, you have to go down a really narrow hallway that's not even straight to get to them. The disabled toilet is closer than the abled toilets, thank the gods, but on bad body days, my scooter is too big to go down the hall, particularly as there's no way to turn around at the other end. So sometimes I have to just either not go out at all, or hold on until I can find a more accessible toilet.
There's also a store in town with a step up into it, and it's a heritage building so they're not required to modify for accessibility, I once asked the owner why they didn't put in a ramp (there's full funding available now and everything), and would you believe it?? The dude said "it's only one step". One step. At the time I could only just get in there, but one step wouldn't work now with the walker, and what about folks in wheelchairs?? I get so frustrated.
I'm a mobility scooter user and the amount of times people have parked across a dropped curb is so infuriating. There is even a house near me where the home owners park their car in front of the dropped curb, despite them having a driveway. Why block a dropped curb if you have a driveway? Also, I went into my local Premier News the other day, and they had left multiple boxes on the floor in the aisle. And I mean literally so many boxes that I couldn't get up it to get what I needed. And it's not the first time it's happened either. Thank you for all you do in highlighting the struggles that we disabled people face every day
My local Aldi store does this all the time with enormous wheeled carts. I have trouble getting past when just using a cane.
Isnt it illegal to park across a driveway? My neighbour was booked for doing this on their own drive. Ditto cut curbs. Photo number plate and email it to Council or police.
@@TheMazinoz I've just googled it and it's definitely illegal to park either in front of a driveway or over a dropped curb
I use a big bungee cord to secure a shopping basket, I put it around my waist and clip the ends onto the basket. It works really well and does the same thing.
Ooo that is a good idea. Thanks for sharing
@scifirocks Thank for sharing this insight with the community! The idea for this product was inspired by creative solutions such as yours and live testing with wheelchair users. We’ve expanded on this idea by adding padding to the base for comfort, making the bag collapsible for storage, adding pockets, providing a privacy/rain cover, designing the strap to improve stability, and creating a product that can be taken home at the end of the store run. Would you be open to trying out our product in exchange for feedback? We also have some future product ideas that we would love to share with you and get your thoughts on.
That bathroom is so nice. The most I’ve seen, here in Missouri, is the larger stall , the toilet higher up and positioned so a caregiver, such as myself, can get my mom onto the toilet. And rarely, a sink inside the stall. Only time I’ve seen a emergency call light cord, in a public restroom, is when we’re in the restrooms at the doctors office building. I’m not a wheelchair user, but I’m the primary caregiver for my mom who is
This is everything Gem, I've had horrors in every situation you mentioned! I am a wheelchair user and my biggest bug bear is when I'm parking my car in a blue badge space that has the pole with the disabled sign on it...guess what? I can't open my car down wide enough to get into my chair! 🙄
The accessible toilets in the UK look amazing. (Though the storing stock in them and other people using them and having sex in them seems universal.) Thanks for speaking up for invisible disabilities Gem! My preferred mobility aids (that I own) are Nordic walking poles. So I don’t “look disabled” when I’m using them. My canes are more to show other people when I’m taking transit or going out that I am disabled. It’s a trade off I wish I didn’t have to make and is one of the many reasons I’m working towards getting a service dog (in addition to the actual legal service dog tasks he will be trained to do).
The best for going to events/museums is when I get to use a courtesy wheelchair. I have way more spoons. I don’t have to look for places to sit, I’m not dizzy, … and can go fast.
For the past year I’ve been constantly noticing likely wheelchair accessibility barriers for when I finally have my own chair. There’s soooo many!
Thanks so much for showing that accessible hotel room. I haven’t travelled yet with my newer accessibility needs and all the features and nice finish is taking some of the stress out of that. Next stop London!
That was a particularly nice one! I'd say the larger space, grab handles and pull cord are pretty standard, but a lot of the other things (like the little shelf and bio waste bin) are quite rare.
If you do visit London, the tube map tells you which stations are accessible and I think you can also get a more detailed accessibility map. The buses are also wheelchair accessible in London.
Accessibility on public transport can vary quite a lot across other parts of the UK though. All train stations should have a ramp for getting on and off the trains, but they require a member of staff to be available so you may wish to contact them in advance. If you find a helpful staff member at the station, they can call ahead to your destination to (hopefully) ensure someone is there to meet you. You can also request help with luggage or getting to your seat (some trains also have wheelchair spaces).
Gem you really are a Gem, and I'm so happy that you have made this video, 😍 I use a rollater walker and I'm fed up with people who don't care and just stop in the middle of the pavement or the phone zombies etc xxxx
People have no spatial awareness I’ve learnt since using a wheelchair
This video is brilliant
For shopping I have a PYC Backpack which clips on to the back of my chair and i just throw stuff in as i go around shops nice and simple, won't fall off and still been able to move around.
The biggest pet hate I have here in Australia is that places with small toilet blocks such as fast food restaurants put the baby change table in the disabled toilet and not in the mens/woman’s as well - so parents have no choice but to block the disabled toilet as it is the only facility for babies.
Re. accessible toilets - the office building I work in has multiple sets of toilets on each floor, each end of the building. The set closest to my office has one wheelchair-accessible toilet. But then in the ladies’ toilets, there is one “regular” stall which has grab-rails & the door opens outwards. Which is a godsend for me due to my dyspraxia ‘cos I can actually navigate the heckin’ thing without rebounding off the walls….
The weird thing about using lifts is that sometimes it's the only way to get into a shopping centre. Last year, when my mum was recovering from chemotherapy treatment for cancer, we went shopping and had to park at the top of the parking building. There was stairs and a lift. My mum wasn't feeling great so she had to use the lift, and whilst we were waiting for it we had a couple of people come into the waiting area bit and go into the stairwell whilst looking at us weirdly. Hilariously though, my sister has an invisible disability which makes it really painful for her to use the lifts (ear pressure issues) meaning that she had to go down the stairs and meet me and my mum (I was with her because it was safer) at the bottom.
Or if there are stairs, they're really difficult to find and feel like you're not supposed to be using them! I prefer stairs over escalators or lifts (and am lucky enough to be able to use them), but often feel like it's a quest just to find a staircase in certain places.
@@hannahk1306 yh. Or the door for he stairs is unlabelled in between two "out of order" or "staff only" doors. Really weird.
One hotel I stayed at, the accessible room I'd booked was a bit of a nightmare for me. The room itself was lovely, spacious, well thought out. Unfortunately accessing the room was another story, long corridor (not everyone can walk that far), and 3 heavy, double fire doors that were impossible to open for me in my wheelchair; I had to phone reception to ask them to come open those doors for me so I could leave the room!
They were very helpful, transfered me to a 1st floor room near the lift (no fire doors), removed 1 of the twin beds so enough space for my wheelchair (luckily I can walk a few metres, so I could use the shower) and transferred all my luggage for me. As I was checking out Monday morning they thanked me for 'highlighting the accessibility issues' and informed me that contractors would be replacing the firedoors the following day.
But one thing that does bug me, every hotel I've stayed at, the accessible rooms are the furthest from the entrance, are they ashamed of us? Are they trying to hide us?
That would’ve been my dream come true a few years ago when I can still get out of the house. I’m hoping I will get it out of the house at the end with rehab and then I can hopefully get an important lap snap or they will be made in this country by then.
Hi Anika, so glad you like our product! We are always looking for distribution partners in other parts of the world to expand where we can ship to, where do you live? If you're ever in the US or know someone who's visiting, let us know and we can arrange a pickup!
Handicapped parking spaces where the establishment hasn't even shoveled the entire parking space (for reference, even our little prius didn't fit into the shoveled area), let alone the hashed area next to it, and there's 6" of snow on the ground. I'm darn tootin' sure the ADA has a section that basically says you are required to shovel/plow if the snow is making the accessible parking spaces inaccessible. The lady at the hotel front desk (we weren't staying there, we were just there for an event) didn't care one iota, but unfortunately it took so long for me to get inside from the car because the parking lot wasn't plowed, that I couldn't snap in her face that she better do something about it or else I would report her to the DOJ (some people won't bother following the law otherwise, and she was one of them).
I think that's my only new one since commenting on the pet peeves video. Oh, that, and thresholds that you have to wheelie over while holding a heavy door open with one hand while on a ramp - yeah, that one pisses me off, especially because it wouldn't take hardly anything to make it so that isn't the case.
Oh, and people who parked on the hashing getting mad because you parked in the handicapped parking space right next to the hashing (I legit had someone yell at me once for that, and I simply retorted, "you're parked illegally - that's a no parking zone") - more than once, I've purposely parked in such a way that made it just about impossible for them to get out (they had to fold their side mirror in in order to), because they parked illegally (no hangtag/license plate, and in a no parking zone - our handicapped parking spaces are very clearly marked, so it's impossible to miss that). I will even go so far as to leave the handicapped spaces that have hashing on the passenger side (R side here in the U.S.) open in case someone has a vehicle with a ramp, the only exception being if there are no other spots left, since I can walk some, so I don't always have my chair with me (I put in and take out my chair on the passenger side) - if I have my chair, I always take one with space on the passenger side, but if I don't have it, I try to leave them for people who might need the space on that side.
Such a great video! It was such a pleasure to work with you Gem, and we're so glad you love the LapSnap!
Ah glad you enjoyed it. Was a pleasure to work with you too. Wonderful to be supported by you, and yes. I love he LapSnap.
I’m so glad Gem showcased your product. It’s on my wish list for when I finally get my wheelchair.
If I may ask, is there a timeline for roll out of this product in other countries, such as Australia and New Zealand?...
@Leila Thank you!! If you're ever visiting the US, let us know, shipping is just wildly expensive ($270) to the UK right now!
@@GingerKiwiDev So glad you like it! Good luck getting your wheelchair!!
❤Thank You for posting! I'm sharing your video
What do you think people can do better in 2023 to be more considerate towards disabled people? If you feel people could learn a little more from this video please share it.
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The red thing that looks like a toy, is part of the steering. When you or child grab it, 500 lbs can hurt and I don’t have control. I don’t want to hurt anyone!
On my wheels or steering.
So many important points Gem! A small thing for an abled person can make a big difference to us, yet so many just dobt think, or worse, don't care. Thank you for all that you do for our community. 💜
This is a fantastic video, and covers so many of the issues facing disabled folks. I have secondary progressive MS, and while I am ambulatory I use a wheelchair if I have to cover long distances.
Ridiculous thing is that, fur example, I don’t HAVE to use wheelchair accessible toilets fir reasons like you do, but when I’m doing a wheel based day (like this week visiting an art gallery) I feel obliged to do so.
So I have experienced the heavy doors, awkward locks, puddles and almost inevitable stink.
Please let me join you in making these points.
There was an issue in my town recently where to "fix" the roads, the council just took the top couple of layers of cement off. Which yeah, fixed the potholes. But created this problem where all of the dropped curbs had about an inch down to the road. Meaning that all of the dropped curbs that allowed people with mobility aids to cross a road safely are now no longer doing so. Also (not quite as important) people who had paid to have a dropped curbs at a driveway etc don't have one anymore. So the council are *supposed* to be coming back and fixing it all so that he dropped curbs are actually dropped curbs again.
I was at Disney world the other week. One good thing was the DAS pass as my friend and I both have different disabilities. But one annoying thing was my friend was in a scooter and due to back pain I was using her Walker and people kept walking right in front of us and I was constantly having to ask people to get out the way. People often weren’t paying attention to those around them. The biggest culprits were adults. I had to tell far more adults to move out the way than children. Adults should know better. Don’t just walk in front of a wheel chair/scooter/Walker, wait for them to go past.
I would add don’t leave your cart in the handicap parking spots, love the video
I hated getting off the train after work, going to the lift to find dozens of able bodied people crowding me out of getting into the lift so they didn't have to use the stairs poor dears!!
I look able-bodied but was told by rheumatologist at 30 to avoid stairs in order to preserve knee joints as long as possible
Things are so much better now than in my childhood and youth, but I've never seen such a large, clean accessible disabled loo in my life. They are usually after thoughts in dingy corners with steep slopes, narrow turning spaces, and dirty. I've shared to my Facebok page.
I think it depends where you live. Some older inner city buildings and train stations are absolutely inaccessible and no disabled toilets.
@MazinOz Wouldn't call the coastal places I've visited inner cities nor the smallish town I live in now. In fact the only clean disabled loo I visited in the last 5 years was a small seaside town.
It's been 12 years since the Equality Act 2010 became law, and there are still employers and service providers who don't know that the "reasonable adjustments" required by that, are what's reasonable *for the disabled person*, not what's reasonable for the employer, service provider. Also I did not know that there were people who think that accessible toilets are private sex dungeons. What a sheltered life I've led... 🤣
Did you see last weeks vidoe? A prime example of buissness being ignorent to disabled people and not giving a 💩 about adjustments. 😵💫
@@Wheelsnoheels yes, I did. I'm helping a friend with similar issues with her GP surgery at the moment. The practice manager actually put in writing that the necessary adjustments were "preferential treatment".... hashtag oops...
It's very snowy here right now in Nebraska. So the thing that is bothering me most is the lack of properly clearing handicapped parking spots. Especially the first one in the row. It's ALWAYS the first one in the row that gets neglected on the driver's side. Which means that one can't park there AND get out of their car. My wheelchair is kept in my hatch, because I'm still ambulatory most days, but if I need to be able to just get from my car to the building, the difference between that first parking spot and the one way on the other side are going to decide if I take my chair that day. 😢
Also when in a wheelchair you can’t be seen by cars so if you have to go along the rows of cars it’s the same height as a small child and you could be hit by a car. Gem do you find that when the pavements have driveways on them it slopes, do you get pulled off the pavement, indeed any sloping on the pavements. Also whilst I’m on a moan our Christmas market was full of wooden cabins with big edges on them so couldn’t get over them. Marks and spencer by me has the escalators right next to the lift but still people fill the lifts up and I give up waiting.
I have a pet peeve about pedal bins in accessible bathrooms. Not sure if it's just an Australian thing, but it drives me absolutely nuts!
I've encountered those in NZ too, so not just an Ozzy thing!
What is a pedal bin? I live in the far northwest corner of the US, near Canada.
@@cbryce9243 it's a bin that has a little pedal/ lever that you step on to open the lid. Useless if you have no feet or are paralyzed lol.
@@cbryce9243 It's a garbage can (rubbish bin in Aus but I spent 15 years in the US 😁) where you have to use your foot to open the lid. If you can't use your foot, you have to pry the (usually gross) lid open with your fingertips. 🤢
@@sarahmacintosh6449 Thank you. I thought that might be what you meant but I wasn't sure. Trash bins should be like water and soap dispensers, like when it squirts out when you are near it, or just open. it's heavy doors I struggle with. They have push buttons to open front doors to get into buildings, but for bathroom, nope!
This is a great video, Gem! To be honest some of my issues are actually with other disabled people which is bonkers. Disability parking is always limited and I’ve often been forced to park further away with my walker because I couldn’t park closer. Until this year I’ve had mobility issues that come and go and I’m sure other people are in this boat too. But if you are in a period where you can actually walk further or aren’t using your mobility aid that day, maybe consider if you actually NEED that space today or if it would be better to save for someone else who doesn’t have that option. I’ve seen parents with a child in a wheelchair park in a disabled spot, leave the kids in the car and just walk in alone while I’m here, literally wobbling and hobbling by with my walker from a non disabled spot metres away when the person who they have the permit for isn’t even leaving the car.
My other issue is people who are walking towards me, see me coming with my walker or walking stick and do not alter their course to avoid walking into me, so I have to step sideways instead to avoid them. This can be difficult and take a lot of energy to do but now that I have recently developed MS which massively effects my balance, gait and direction of walking, it’s sometimes not even possible to do. If you can walk around the person who clearly has compromised walking ability, do it! I’ve had people lock eyes with me and still make me be the one to move. Similarly, don’t cut a disabled person off suddenly.
I just stand stock still till they move. Are..Les if they stare you down.
Of course in an ideal world there would be enough spaces for everyone to use. I'm sure some places think that it's impossible to get multiple disabled people at once.
Definitely just stop if someone isn't moving out of your way. You shouldn't have to be in any discomfort because they're inconsiderate or lazy.
I do understand about people not moving out of your path when they could. With MS, I find having to make (relatively) sudden changes in direction of walking (which I can do, but wobbly) tricky. And yes people using mobile phones are the worst.
I have recently found a car park in a north west suburb of Sydney (Castle Hill) that has only seven parking spaces. They are all disabled accessible ♿️ spaces. On my last visit I found all the spaces occupied by unauthorised vehicles. Six of the seven vehicles had their driver either in them or in conversation with a fellow driver. When I confronted them, I was made aware that they were all Uber drivers awaiting jobs to attend. Affectively an Uber taxi rank. Judging by the rotting takeaway food all over the cark park, it is also used as the Uber driver’s canteen/lunchroom. Despite numerous attempts to have this issue dealt with by the property owners of the shopping centre it services ( Castle Towers) and the local council (Hills Shire Council), whose responsibility it is to police the parking, nothing has been done. Why am I not surprised?
Its the drop kerbs that frustrate me. Some of them are not actually dropped enough and where I live I have to use people's drive ways to cross the road
Girl thank you for all you are. Keep it real!
Thanks for the support
That’s the best accessible bathroom I’ve ever seen. I have yet to see one that nice in America.
I've been in a few bathrooms in the US, and I do feel the UK is slightly better. Hope you enjoyed the video. :)
@@Wheelsnoheels I can see a few problems with the "accessible" hotel room. Is the entry door heavy? Why no hoist in the shower?
Omg yes! Especially parking and phone zombies. And people stopping on cut kerbs (and doorways for that matter!) people have zero self awareness nowadays 😳
For sure
I use a walker and whenever I go to my local mall I can never get to used the handicapped stall because someone else is using it as a changeroom and a baby changeroom. Luckily there is an accessible bathroom there but every time I use it I feel like I am taking it up for someone else who needs it more than I do. Another problem I have noticed is non disabled people who use the door buttons and shop owners not fixing them making it extremely difficult for people like myself to open the door
I'm 17 and when I'm not using a mobility aid I look able bodied I was told off by a guy dressed as an elf who wouldn't let me use the lift he was like their are stair in ASOS , I had just left ASOS bc my fam had gone down the stairs and I couldn't , I had to go the long way around to find the escalator
You should have said you couldn't use stairs because...
@@TheMazinoz yeah I know I was too tired so nonverbal in confrontation
Went through a time with Iceland Food store not opening their disabled wider access till & staff kept asking me to try the other till, they are not wide enough with displays & baskets either side. Even got the manager involved who also didn't want to open the till, something about it being too close to the door? Happy to say it's now usually manned & if for some reason it's not they now open till when asked. My persistence won.
Well done for speaking out, but it should have to be a battle 🙁
Love the Lap Snap. Need one as a recent power chair user. Thanks
I have fibromyalgia. But I fractured my heels back in the early 1990s and they have NEVER properly healed. This makes walking distances hard, even if people can't see them. I also damaged my knees and, while I can climb stairs, both up and down, it is hard now that I'm nearing 70. The thing about stairs is that for a few moments, all your weight is being pushed up or controlled down. I will use escalators because I don't have to use my knees and it does free elevators for those who can't stand on an escalator. Now, if a handicapped facility in a place is free, I will use it, but I do mean use, not change clothes or even change a baby (not that I ever had one.) In the last almost 30 years I have never had a disabled person waiting while I was in one. Now, I've never seen a public accessible facility have a sharps container and I have had to, on sadly more than one occasion, use my allergy shots. If a non-accessible stall had opened on the more serious time, I'd've been able to use that. In fact, I was ready to pull my jeans down and give myself the shot when the stall came free. (I'm pretty sure you know how a ladies' room at a theater of a newly released popular movie can get.) In this case, I did have to sit for several minutes after the shot to recover enough to walk, with my then roommate's - later wife's - help. Just to get to the lobby from the front of the theater, since she was very visually impaired, she was holding me up on one side and I was using the seats on the other, then the wall to get to where we could get to the bathroom.
Sometimes the only place where it's possible to change a baby is the accessible loo. It's not ideal, but often it's the only option if you don't want to change your baby on the floor of a public bathroom.
@@katfoster845 This is so true, and they shouldn't be allowed to do it, but they still do.
Thank you for this video, Gemma!!!
This is a great video. I definitely think you did it with plenty of sensitivity and tact. So that really annoys me is when people decide to stop and have a conversation in the middle of the hallway or stairs you would think that people might actually need to use the railing or need width wise of a hallway space for themselves and their service dog that doesn’t include the middle of it being taken up by people in conversation
I've actually just become a total recluse because I can't get around.
I had both feet amputated this year and I live on the 2nd floor. It's almost impossible to leave my apartment.
I don't have my prosthetics yet so getting around my apartment is done on my knees crawling or pulling myself around.
I'm looking for a duplex or ground floor unit, but very hard to find.
@@TheMazinoz I actually just found one! I'm moving at the end of next month. Unfortunately I couldn't get an ADA accessible unit but, no stairs is good for me.
@@HabrenOdinsdottir Good for you.
@@TheMazinoz Thanks.
Good luck to you. The struggle is real. No joke.
Thank you
It definitely makes me feel a little weird having to use the accessible bathrooms at my university, but they are the only ones available to me :/ (I don’t just mean because other ones are busy. I mean they are literally the only singular bathrooms in the entire building. Which I guess it’s good that the bathroom they put in is accessible, but I’m so used to the idea that I’m not supposed to use those ones.)
Your husband is a good sport. Can't half tell he's an Aussie in this video! "I'll only be a minute met .. good on ya"! 😂
excellent video Gem.
I used to go to the local baths to use the spa(hot was great for pains). I stopped because wheel chair access was near zero for the changing rooms. There was an accessible toilet/changing room but the ladies always used it as their own private changing room. I often had to spend over 1/2 hour (cold and wet after getting out of the spa) to get into the accessible changing room to shower and change. This of course negated going in the first place!! I often had ladies (usually in their 30's and house wives) have a go at me for 'blocking up' the accessible changing room by using it!! Gave up stopped subscription and never went back!
I wish they made more changing table for those bigger than a baby in stores and other places cause sometimes a bigger child or adult may need it
Oh this is really cool, please let them know to shop to UK
Keep hedges and overhanging trees off the pavement. I catch my hands, face in bushes and branches or have to go on road, same with temp roadwork signs and wheelie bins. I have a radar key to a disabled toilet but from my chair I cannot open the incredibly heavy door that needs pulling towards you, I have short arm length and no strength, you would think it would open easier or automatic
Thank you for sharing. These are really good points. Maybe we need a part two?
Complain to Council. Homeowners are required to keep trees from blocking pathway.
we have a big problem in the US with people trashing public bathrooms...and when you need the accessible one and its trashed, you have to wait a long time for it to be cleaned. stores refuse to regularly check bathrooms. 1 store was so bad, i reported it to the health department. as soon as I cracked the door the smell was sickening. They whined they didn't have housekeeping safe--well, then the manager should have done it. I worked as a housekeeper when I was able...It wasn't beneath me. Most accessible bathrooms in the US are just a larger stall in the general bathroom. There is no restriction on anyone using them. Etiquette is to get in and out quick..don't use it as a phone booth or otherwise camp out. I am ambulatory most of the time, but need the grab bars...and I can get in and out in 90 seconds.....It should be fine for anyone to use it as long as they are quick.
Hi Gem, this is my first comment on your channel , i am 40 and i was born stillborn , i was the passenger in a car accident in october 2005 where my side of the car got t-boned and i was bedridden for a year, and i was able to get my mobility back for a while but now i have progressive damage occuring to my back and i live on the second floor of my mom's house , while i can walk most days it's getting hard for me to get around , i'm considering getting myself a wheelchair for when i'm out in public doing my shopping or going to the movie theater. i am grateful to have a handicap parking placard and people give me grief all the time but i tell them i am completely legal and i leave it there. I look forward to more videos
One problem here in Norway is that the disabled toilet often doubles as the diaper changing room for babies. So if a mothere with a baby goes in there, it can well take half an hour or more.
Just wanted to say this was a really good video….
I have a fear of the down escalator. If I go into a store that only has escalators or elevators I need to use the elevator. Also in a store like that it might be helpful if they had checkout places on every floor
Also don’t block the sidewalk that leads to the cut curb.
I have been leaving events on my scooter and groups of people congregate on sidewalk right before the curb cut.
On the bins, not only could those putting out the bin be more considerate, the bin men could also be more considerate with where they leave the bins once they have been emptied. They can be just as bad as the householder.
+Wheelsnoheels *Thanks for the following rules of accessibility protocol:*
01:05 *1. Wheelchair-accessible toilets*
01:48 Example of now NOT to engineer a transfer WC installation - rails should've been on the near side, where carts and wheelchairs can manoeuvre.
04:03 *2. Disabled-accessible parking*
04:59 Disabled stalls should have 0.120m elevated gangways for TOMMY LIFT® or equivalent powered lifts.
05:50 *3. Droppable retail shelves consistent with the closet of +MissJessicaKH* - actually needed by wheelchair users.
08:17 *4. Wheelchair-accessible dressing rooms for clothiers*
09:07 *5. Wheelchair-accessible tills and/or register lanes*
10:01 *6. Integral ramps in sidewalks*
10:55 Example of access violation - no-sidewalk parking
11:18 Example of access violation - parking athwart ramp
11:39 Example of access violation - distracted pedestrian
12:02 Example of access violation - sanitation bin athwart pedestrian/wheelchair traffic
12:38 *7. Accessible rooms in hotels, apartments and comdominia*
14:57 *8. Wheelchair-accessible elevators*
15:38 *Summary*
As the first autist in the OMS (viz., Oriental Missiionary Society) Holiness Church of North America (HQ: Los Ángeles, CA, USA), I've emotional disabilities that are invisible to building code. Japanese Christian Church of Walnut Creek (CA, USA) came due for refurbishment, and I've a concept for whole-Plant relighting that accommodates vision-restricted persons such as +MollyBurkeOfficial, plus re-signage to bring the Plant up to current code and a modified parking-lot rebuild that will extend gangways betwixt the "Disabled" stalls to be retrofitted. Unfortunately, not much can be done with the five washrooms, as the one all-gender washroom in the Christian-Education Wing cannot take a code-required roll-in shower (which has the side benefit of better containing spills for routine tile swabbing).
I do have to say that for a walker or rollator, the bumps on dropped curbs are a pain in the you-know-what as you feel those bumps every time. Since they are done for the visually handicapped, it is understandable and necessary, however. I have no idea if those bumps are felt by someone in a wheelchair. Another thing: phone zombies can be dangerous, but even if they see you in time, you are bracing while they come to you. No fun, for sure.
Great video Gem!
A silent hour in stores would be great too. I‘m noise and light sensitive so it would be great if there were no music and less light in the store.
Yes, the music gives me migraines and wet macular degeneration makes me light sensitive so I wear yellow ored tinted multifocal glasses
I wish the accessible hotel rooms in Canada were like that. They seem to think having a little extra room is fine, might be a roll in shower but that's usually about it.
I don’t know how people can be looking on their phones and walk. I’m clumsy enough when I’m walking and watching where I’m going. To be walking and not paying attention where I’m walking, I’d , at least, stepping into a puddle, and worse, falling
I recently moved from Canada to the Uk. The worst thing so far is that it’s allowed to park on the sidewalk. I can’t even go to the library on my own because there’s so many cars parked I’d have to stay on the road for basically the entire way. I’ve already almost been hit by a car that didn’t see me because I’m so low down when I’m in my chair.
It makes me really sad. I feel like I’ve lost a lot of independence because I can’t go anywhere by myself anymore
It’s not actually allowed but people do it all the time making it really difficult for people with mobility issues.
I hate it most when people park on the sidewalk and block curbcuts.though people walking and looking at their phones is almost as annoying.
The Primark where I am in Philadelphia not only uses the disabled till as a storage space the machine is also broken and they ain't fixing it
At college, we have a disabled toilet that isn't really a disabled toilet if that makes sense? It's in the same room and on the same row as the other non-disabled cubicles - it's just ever so slightly wider with minimal adjustments (the door opens outwards to make it easier for people with mobility aids to get in - though there's absolutely no room whatsoever to transfer from a wheelchair and no red emergency cord, the toilet is higher up, there's a grab rail on the door and the coat hook is lower down). There are proper disabled toilets elsewhere on campus, just not in this building (which is the main building) as far as I'm aware. Anyways - because there's virtually no effort made to make it a proper disabled toilet, many non-disabled people will use it just like they would with any of the other toilets. I've recently started using a rollator and so I've been using this toilet exclusively - on my first day of using my rollator, I had to wait 5 minutes for the disabled toilet (the toilets are never busy so at most you usually have to wait a minute or two) because 2 girls were just sat in there having a laugh. Doesn't help that they decided to put the panty-liner bin on top of the toilet, which was about as disgusting as it sounds. You should've seen their faces when they saw me standing there with my rollator - they didn't say anything but their faces said it all lol. I can laugh about it now, but I really hope their embarassment was enough to teach them that toilets aren't exactly the best place to socialize whilst someone's waiting to go for a piss
11:39 On that note as well - I just don't understand how people can be on their phone whilst trying to walk somewhere? Especially in this day and age, we *need* to have decent situational awareness to keep ourselves and others safe - there's absolutely *no* way you can do that if your eyes are glued to your phone. At most, I'll use my phone whilst walking if I'm trying to ring someone, but I'm *constantly* looking up and around whilst I'm finding them in my contacts list so that I'm fully aware of what's going on around me. It's incredibly rare for me to need to text someone so urgently that it can't wait till I'm in the car or on the bus, but if it ever does happen, I always wait until I can get to a safe location to park my rollator whilst also leaving enough room for people to get around me. I just don't understand how that's *so* difficult for people to do lol
LOL I had recently been thinking about a design like the lap snap (a different method for keeping it stable) so it's great to see someone else has come up with a similar idea and got it onto the market .. perhaps it will reach Oz one day.
Thanks! I hope we can ship there one day too!