If you're ever in need of a wheelchair user to join you on a recce, hit me up. I love exploring london and doing disability advocacy, so this is right up my frustratingly cobblestoned street 😆
@@yvettevandermolen2455 Because they're both traditional and aesthetically-pleasing. Chances are, they're going to keep being used, unless they become inconvenient for people who are rich enough or well-connected enough to change that. The chances of getting actual dropped curbs instead of fake ones like the one pointed out here are somewhat better, because fixing *that* will have fewer protests from people who aren't inconvenienced by cobblestones.
It's so wonderful that you go through the effort to find accessible routes for folks!!! I myself am not in need of a wheelchair, but I do tend to stumble over those curbs
A rule of thumb: a wheelchair is about the width between one's outstretched elbows. A wheelchair user needs an extra 50% to use their arms, a.k.a. a dab width. This is enough to squeeze through but a full arm span is better and will also accommodate fat wheelchair users. It's very frustrating to plan accessible routes but it's very much appreciated.
Thank you for the elbows idea. Made me think of a little trivia fact: a person's wingspan (arm span measurement) is very close to the person's height. So that could be another "stick your arms out" spot check.
As a handicapped person, first, I love your videos. Second, THANK YOU for considering accessibility when you design your tours! It is much appreciated!
If I may enquire, I've been taught in recent years that handicapped was a term to be avoided when discussing people with disabilities, but you use it for your own identification. Is this more widespread and acceptable than I've been told, or is your preference for it unusual?
@@FightingTorque411most disabled people prefer the word disabled, not all. In a lot of languages, the word for disabled is very similar to handicapped, so people may use the word handicapped as the easiest translation. Others do find the word handicapped highly offensive. When in doubt, I would recommend going with the word disabled. You can always switch to handicapped if someone does prefer it. Hardly any disabled people find the word disabled offensive, so that does tend to be the safer choice to describe others
@@FightingTorque411 Actually, I never really think much about it. For me, I do not tend to be offended by the word. I think the word that is considered offensive is ‘crippled’.
As someone who's in a wheelchair a lot (I can walk with a cane and leg brace some, but both of my knees are ruined, especially the left one, so I can only walk so much at a time), I appreciate the effort you put in to make these tours accessible to as many people as possible. If I were ever to find myself in London, I would absolutely go on one of your tours.
Has someone who is becoming increasingly disabled, I really appreciate what you are doing. Despite the fact that the UK and Europe are substantially more Progressive than the usa, the one place they tend to fall behind is accessibility for the disabled. It has very much hampered my ability to travel to European countries. I would love to come and take one or more of your tours.
Thank you for considering accessibility issues. It would also be helpful to plan for invisible disability people, like myself with spinal disc degeneration, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia (a constant state of pain). For me, I can walk on flat ground for quite a while, but standing still is hard - handy for something to lean on, and maybe a cafe break for toilets and rest for 30 mins? I don’t eat a lot, but a sit down and relax would be ever so welcome, depending on the length of the tour. I am capable of doing walking tours, but these considerations if someone is having a bad day/flare up would be immensely helpful for so many folk.
Thank you for Long Shorts! UA-cam Shorts is an ill-conceived restriction. Much better to post a short video as a regular video, so we can still pause, scrub, adjust playback speed, and access who knows how many other functions they took away in Shorts.
Thank you! As a motorized wheelchair user I'm quite small, but I MUST have my electric bike attachment for this sort of journey, which gets stuck in a variety of places depending on the way people want us to get around.
Thank you so much for the care and attention you put into the issue of accessibility. As someone who has a friend in a wheelchair, I know the frustrations of turning up to venues that promise accessibility without meeting the standards. Don’t get me started on the posh restaurant that blocked their wheelchair ramp with piles of folding tables and whose “wheelchair accessible” toilet had a door that couldn’t close! 😡😡😡
Yeah I have some mate’s in chairs and the amount of accessible toilets in venues used as a storeroom as well, one had a lock on the door that was before I knew that mate just seen them around the same scene. I had just come out of the toilet and saw them there outside the supposedly accessible one, I went to the bar and asked for the key and told them legally they aren’t supposed to lock them, and then it was so full of mops and toilet paper boxes, bloody terrible.
I like that you are taking wheelchair users' needs into account. I currently use a rollator walker, so my needs are very similar to a wheelchair users' needs. One thing I have found in the US is that technically, places are compliant with accessibility requirements, but in actuality, people do things that make them non- compliant. For instance, they have large bathrooms with the necessary grab bars but then they proceed to store large boxes of paper products in the way so that there is no room for wheelchairs or walkers. There is barely room for quad canes. Or they store high chairs in the bathrooms or hallways. Another problem is that ramps are too short or have too steep of a slope. Or sometimes there is a turn without a large enough landing. Years ago, before I developed mobility issues, one of my friends talked about the problems she encountered in an effort to educate us on true accessibility needs. Another problem is people who park their vehicles carelessly. They block sidewalks si that wheelchairs and walkers can't get by the vehicles. And then there are the parking spaces labeled for handicapped users that aren't wide enough and have no ramps to get over the curbs. I can negotiate many of these with my rollator walker, but a wheelchair user won't be able to
That’s great you do that for wheelchair users. I have bad hearing. It always frustrates me when there aren’t subs on people’s longer videos. I tend to just use headphones on short vids.
I think you could do with a strategically chosen umbrella whose closed length is the recommended wheelchair clearance. I think they sell golf umbrellas whose open diameter is about the right size for a turning circle (coincidentally), but I don't know if any are the right length.
You are correct but 'to curb' has a different meaning as a verb so it makes sense it's a different spelling. Maybe xD English is weird! It probably has something to do with the origins of the word or something, like one is Latin and the order is Germanic (random examples I have no idea)
Both the noun and verb share the same etymological history. They both come from the French "courbe" (which in turn comes from Latin "curvus"). There's no good reason for the "kerb" spelling.
@@omiaiit isn't really a different meaning, "to curb" means "to bring to an end" and the curb is the "end" of the pavement and the end of the road. It curbs wheeled vehicles from crossing over onto the pavement. (I worked this out when someone was insisting all streets have a figurative gutter even if they don't actually have a literal gutter, and if not, then what was the edge of the road called if not the gutter?)
We love a disability-conscious history educator 💕 From a disabled fan across the pond who will probably never get the chance to tell you in person, thank you for the work you do.
Watching london from your lense is my new habit I came here after playing assassin's creed syndicate to discover more of london's history Cheers from india!!
Thanks so much for your diligence in checking for wheelchair accessibility! A lot of people might just give up after having to backtrack even once. I'm not a wheelchair user at the moment but I have been before and I may be again so it's a comfort to know responsible folks like you are setting an example for businesses on how to do the work to make things accessible!
Thank you! I am not a wheelchair user but I have other disabilities and it means so much when people take the effort to figure out how to make things accessible. I loved your channel before… I love it even more now!
I'm in the US and they are building a lot of new sidewalks in my town, which is great because they are desperately needed, but I am shocked at how many intersections they fail to put a dropped curb. These are completely new, there is no excuse for not doing it! I wasn't even really thinking of wheelchairs, my thought when I recognized this was for cyclists. (Technically cyclists are supposed to ride on the road, but given how dangerously aggressive and/or inattentive most drivers are, that's a death sentence, so mostly they ride on the sidewalks. There aren't many pedestrians, or cyclists, so it's not actually a big a deal most of the time.) But obviously if a bicycle can't manage, a wheelchair can't manage either. What's especially frustrating about it is that you'll see one intersection with new sidewalk and no dropped curb, and the next intersection down, part of the same new sidewalk, does have it. So it's not like the builder just doesn't know, they clearly do, but for whatever reason they are not being consistent about it. How is this not an automatic to include at this point at every intersection and crosswalk?
Not a legal expert, but that may or may not violate the ADA, you could probably complain to local government especially with a petition or protest campaign Edit: "Generally, you must provide curb ramps wherever a sidewalk or other pedestrian walkway crosses a curb." archive.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/chap6toolkit.htm
Because most government projects only do the bare minimum legally. I'm guessing they only need so many dropped curbs. Also, there are absolute crap tons of places that aren't accessible. That seem to go out of their way to make things more difficult. It's never just the one thing or the one place.
In Uni (Rutgers) there was an annual day where the handicapable organization let people borrow a wheelchair and use it for the day to go to all their campus classes. I lasted half a day before I was just too exhausted. Between the hills that I had *never noticed before* and the dead-ends because of a big curb, it was just tooooo much! I never, ever looked at the campus the same way. I gave a glare to every campus impediment I faced-off with for years after that. Exactly 40 years later, I still notice such things. It was a mind-modifying experience at the lizard-brain level. I highly recommend it to any young person.
was weird to see you use 'handicapable' in 2024 but later you say '40 years later' and the terminology - in the US, in a uni, and in the 1980s - is "of its time." it definitely is not a good term in itself, though, and is one to avoid even in reference to past situations except in direct quotes or the name of an organisation, a title etc.
I imagine it would not be fun to live there as a wheelchair user. Just wandering around with your friends, then they want to go across the street, so you have to leave for 10 minutes to find a dropped curb so that you can go with them.
@@pendlera2959I suppose you could, but those things are either big or useless. I don't know anyone who does that. Personally, when there isn't any ramp or dropped curb option, I sit on the curb, get my wheelchair on/off the sidewalk and get back in.
Stunning! You're so amazing & lovely to actually be sorting out wheel chair access for a tour! I often do that for a friend of mine on a daily basis, esp in unfamiliar locations and it can be very frustrating. Kudos to you! 💖
Such a great tour, and it took me to a part of London Americans tend not to visit. Great memories. I learned so much about street art that I recognized some of the same artists' work months later in a modern art museum in Amsterdam!
As an American and a (very) part time tour guide, I’ve never heard the word “recce” before but I love it and will see if I can pass it on to my fellow guides. Also, we are quite lucky here as we take wheelchair accessibility for granted due to our strict ADA (Americans with Disability Act) regulations. It’s not perfect and a construction site can cause issues, but it does make setting up a tour much easier.
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for this. People have no idea the amount of exhausting planning, back-tracking, and problem solving it takes to get around in a wheelchair (also, that one bit with the metal pylons...definitely not big enough for my motorized wheelchair).
Amazing content, and so rare to see a biped thinking so much about accessibility. (No, that dipped curb was NOT dipped enough and Yes please: sort it out Spitalfields!) Thank you! I know others have offered, but if you need a wheelie to test out any routes, I'd love to help! Love your videos - keep them coming.
I am so happy to see you considering accessibility. I had to use a scooter for 5 weeks because I savagely twisted my foot on my son's duplo block. I learned just how inaccessible everyday really is.
My sister is in a wheelchair after her fall with a horse, and she always says, "I wish I got patience together with the los of the use of my legs. "... we have seen a lot now that we are aware and looking differently at a simple walk around town. (We have seen wheelchair entrances at the top of stairs without a lift... well...😮) thanks for looking with us❤!
I am not wheelchair bound and do not need this as a consideration but thank you for considering those that do. I have had other disabilities that can make it very difficult to get around properly and some decent accommodations that don't necessarily take a ton of work once they are actually considered are literally life changing.
As a disabled who makes use of a rollator I found London to be 'sort of' accommodating to accessibility yes there are lifts in places like the british museum etc however the SSE arena where I went to see Andre Rieu tried to take my walking aid 'for safety' when I tried getting up to the seating we'd booked so we'd paid for a ticket with a great view but ended up at the back of the arena far from the stage.
Good for you. I'm a disabled wheelchair busker in London currently locked in a major battle with the Covent Garden Street performers Association. They have never allowed any disabled performers or musicians to ever perform in Covent Garden or even allowed a single disabled performer or musician to audition. This is almost certainly going to result in a fairly contentious legal battle between the disabled buskers and performers in London against Westminster City Council Covent Garden and the Covent Garden Street performers. They are quite frankly some of the most diabolical people you could ever want to meet. They feel they have an absolute right in fact completely entitled to discriminate and dispose of disabled performers like yesterday's rubbish
Okay so everyone is talking about how awesome your planning for physically disabled is (and it is!!!) BUT we shouldnt forget to appreciate that ALL the artists are credited too! Thats just extra awesome
Please read: hi, I absolutely LOVE your videos. They’re amazing, entertaining, and very educational, and you seem like a truly wonderful person. Keep on creating content like this. Thank you. Also, I see that you’re wearing a mask in the beginning. If you’re still masking daily, like my family and I, I recommend that you buy some 3M n95s, they filter much better than fabric masks. Wishing you happiness and a great day, Theo
We were in Athens last week and my goddddd, I don't know how anyone in a wheelchair manages it. London is bad in many places, but Athens would just be impossible. Navigating with a heavy, wheeled suitcase was hard enough
Sun cream? I've been telling students that it's incorrect English here in Korea. I guess it's fine but it's British (and Korean) English. >.< I used to do walking tours in NYC. Some sidewalk hatches were around the corner. Some were just not there. It is frustrating. There should be a way to report and request they be put in, although probably not in time for your tour. Here in Seoul we walk out on the street; many have no sidewalks.
The simple way to make these stupidly narrow London streets accessible, is to pedestrianise the entire area, and have one level from the buildings on one side to the buildings on the other side, with restricted access for delivery vehicles. Any road with a name ending in "Mews" is not suitable for cars - period.
Wow, not having to look for lowered sidewalks is something I really take for granted. However, I would cut Spitalfield a bit of break, as you did say the homes were built in the 18th century, and the ADA wasn't exactly in force yet... nor is it in force at all, as you are in London, come to think of it.
There is a set of six overground train routes through and around central london run by transport for london collectively known as the "overground" - yes, some of the underground routes do run above ground in places (e.g. the outer south-western edges of the district line) but that's still part of the "underground" as the line belongs to the underground network. We also do have a light rail, but that's known as the DLR or Docklands light railway. If you look at a london tfl map for 2023 all the "overground" lines are doubled light orange - they're being separated into their own colours in the next iteration of the map, to help confusion over which branch you're on.
Historically, Londoners used the name "overgound" for main-line rail, but it has now been adopted for various commuter routes around London which are operated by TfL (Transport for London). Jago Hazard has many videos on the evolution of London's transport system, including a recent one explaining what the Overground is. As a fun fact, the Underground is mostly over ground. Only the core sections are mostly under ground.
No it's a specific set of train routes in London that are overground and used mainly for commuter services, which is the reason it is compared to the underground. Jago Hazzard has a video explaining it, if you need more info
![What Do All The Tube Station Names Mean?: The Central Line [Long Shorts]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jWoNdCEzr20/mqdefault.jpg)
If you're ever in need of a wheelchair user to join you on a recce, hit me up. I love exploring london and doing disability advocacy, so this is right up my frustratingly cobblestoned street 😆
OMG cobblestones! As someone without wheels but with sensible shoes, I still must ask WHY?! Why are we still doing cobblestones?
@@yvettevandermolen2455 Because they're both traditional and aesthetically-pleasing. Chances are, they're going to keep being used, unless they become inconvenient for people who are rich enough or well-connected enough to change that. The chances of getting actual dropped curbs instead of fake ones like the one pointed out here are somewhat better, because fixing *that* will have fewer protests from people who aren't inconvenienced by cobblestones.
"THAT IS NOT A DROPPED CURB!" Thank you for your spot on reaction ❤ (heart)
It's so wonderful that you go through the effort to find accessible routes for folks!!! I myself am not in need of a wheelchair, but I do tend to stumble over those curbs
A rule of thumb: a wheelchair is about the width between one's outstretched elbows. A wheelchair user needs an extra 50% to use their arms, a.k.a. a dab width. This is enough to squeeze through but a full arm span is better and will also accommodate fat wheelchair users. It's very frustrating to plan accessible routes but it's very much appreciated.
I was wondering if the parasol was long enough to also be used as a measuring stick for this purpose.
@@AndrewMcCollIf it's cane-length then it should be, yes. I don't think J Draper is particularly short.
@@SAOS451316 some parasols can be a little more compact, though.
“Dab-width!!!”
Thank you for the elbows idea.
Made me think of a little trivia fact: a person's wingspan (arm span measurement) is very close to the person's height. So that could be another "stick your arms out" spot check.
A petition turned up in my inbox this morning about inaccessibility of London's tube stations, so this felt quite a timely addition to the theme!
As a handicapped person, first, I love your videos. Second, THANK YOU for considering accessibility when you design your tours! It is much appreciated!
If I may enquire, I've been taught in recent years that handicapped was a term to be avoided when discussing people with disabilities, but you use it for your own identification. Is this more widespread and acceptable than I've been told, or is your preference for it unusual?
@@FightingTorque411most disabled people prefer the word disabled, not all. In a lot of languages, the word for disabled is very similar to handicapped, so people may use the word handicapped as the easiest translation. Others do find the word handicapped highly offensive. When in doubt, I would recommend going with the word disabled. You can always switch to handicapped if someone does prefer it. Hardly any disabled people find the word disabled offensive, so that does tend to be the safer choice to describe others
@@FightingTorque411 Actually, I never really think much about it. For me, I do not tend to be offended by the word. I think the word that is considered offensive is ‘crippled’.
Thanks for going the extra mile to create an accessible tour.
Perhaps literally!
@@FightingTorque411you win the thread!
I thought you said "it's known for its street-tarts"! 😮 A red-light district tour suddenly became all about art and dropped curbs.
Thank you for taking the time and effort to make your tours wheelchair accessible AND for bringing awareness to the problem!
As someone who's in a wheelchair a lot (I can walk with a cane and leg brace some, but both of my knees are ruined, especially the left one, so I can only walk so much at a time), I appreciate the effort you put in to make these tours accessible to as many people as possible. If I were ever to find myself in London, I would absolutely go on one of your tours.
Thank you for taking the time to ensure your tours are accessible. If I ever make it down to London again, I'll join one of your tours.
Has someone who is becoming increasingly disabled, I really appreciate what you are doing. Despite the fact that the UK and Europe are substantially more Progressive than the usa, the one place they tend to fall behind is accessibility for the disabled. It has very much hampered my ability to travel to European countries. I would love to come and take one or more of your tours.
I love you so much for thinking with wheels! And thank you for sharing in our constant, exhausted exasperation. ❤😊
Thank you for considering accessibility issues. It would also be helpful to plan for invisible disability people, like myself with spinal disc degeneration, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia (a constant state of pain). For me, I can walk on flat ground for quite a while, but standing still is hard - handy for something to lean on, and maybe a cafe break for toilets and rest for 30 mins? I don’t eat a lot, but a sit down and relax would be ever so welcome, depending on the length of the tour.
I am capable of doing walking tours, but these considerations if someone is having a bad day/flare up would be immensely helpful for so many folk.
Thank you for Long Shorts! UA-cam Shorts is an ill-conceived restriction. Much better to post a short video as a regular video, so we can still pause, scrub, adjust playback speed, and access who knows how many other functions they took away in Shorts.
Thanks so much for making sure your tours are accessible!
Thank you! As a motorized wheelchair user I'm quite small, but I MUST have my electric bike attachment for this sort of journey, which gets stuck in a variety of places depending on the way people want us to get around.
Thank you so much for the care and attention you put into the issue of accessibility. As someone who has a friend in a wheelchair, I know the frustrations of turning up to venues that promise accessibility without meeting the standards. Don’t get me started on the posh restaurant that blocked their wheelchair ramp with piles of folding tables and whose “wheelchair accessible” toilet had a door that couldn’t close! 😡😡😡
Yeah I have some mate’s in chairs and the amount of accessible toilets in venues used as a storeroom as well, one had a lock on the door that was before I knew that mate just seen them around the same scene. I had just come out of the toilet and saw them there outside the supposedly accessible one, I went to the bar and asked for the key and told them legally they aren’t supposed to lock them, and then it was so full of mops and toilet paper boxes, bloody terrible.
Thank you!! I don't need a wheelchair myself, but it's wonderful that you find accessible routes for everyone!!!
I like that you are taking wheelchair users' needs into account. I currently use a rollator walker, so my needs are very similar to a wheelchair users' needs.
One thing I have found in the US is that technically, places are compliant with accessibility requirements, but in actuality, people do things that make them non- compliant. For instance, they have large bathrooms with the necessary grab bars but then they proceed to store large boxes of paper products in the way so that there is no room for wheelchairs or walkers. There is barely room for quad canes. Or they store high chairs in the bathrooms or hallways. Another problem is that ramps are too short or have too steep of a slope. Or sometimes there is a turn without a large enough landing. Years ago, before I developed mobility issues, one of my friends talked about the problems she encountered in an effort to educate us on true accessibility needs.
Another problem is people who park their vehicles carelessly. They block sidewalks si that wheelchairs and walkers can't get by the vehicles.
And then there are the parking spaces labeled for handicapped users that aren't wide enough and have no ramps to get over the curbs. I can negotiate many of these with my rollator walker, but a wheelchair user won't be able to
That’s great you do that for wheelchair users. I have bad hearing. It always frustrates me when there aren’t subs on people’s longer videos. I tend to just use headphones on short vids.
or those terrible auto generated subs
Thank you for considering wheelchair users! And yes, it is a constant frustration when going to unfamiliar places as you can often get stuck.
I think you could do with a strategically chosen umbrella whose closed length is the recommended wheelchair clearance. I think they sell golf umbrellas whose open diameter is about the right size for a turning circle (coincidentally), but I don't know if any are the right length.
That's really interesting, and Incredibly considerate of you finding the best routes 💖
Fun fact: in the UK, the edge of the pavement is spelled "kerb". In the US it is "curb". However, the verb "to curb" is spelled the same. 🤔
You are correct but 'to curb' has a different meaning as a verb so it makes sense it's a different spelling. Maybe xD English is weird! It probably has something to do with the origins of the word or something, like one is Latin and the order is Germanic (random examples I have no idea)
Both the noun and verb share the same etymological history. They both come from the French "courbe" (which in turn comes from Latin "curvus"). There's no good reason for the "kerb" spelling.
@@omiaiit isn't really a different meaning, "to curb" means "to bring to an end" and the curb is the "end" of the pavement and the end of the road. It curbs wheeled vehicles from crossing over onto the pavement.
(I worked this out when someone was insisting all streets have a figurative gutter even if they don't actually have a literal gutter, and if not, then what was the edge of the road called if not the gutter?)
We love a disability-conscious history educator 💕 From a disabled fan across the pond who will probably never get the chance to tell you in person, thank you for the work you do.
Wow. That really is some gorgeous street art.
Thank you for your diligent reconnaissance on behalf of people with mobility issues.
Watching london from your lense is my new habit I came here after playing assassin's creed syndicate to discover more of london's history
Cheers from india!!
1:04 you sound almost as angry as I do when I cannot find the drop partner 😂❤
Thanks so much for your diligence in checking for wheelchair accessibility! A lot of people might just give up after having to backtrack even once.
I'm not a wheelchair user at the moment but I have been before and I may be again so it's a comfort to know responsible folks like you are setting an example for businesses on how to do the work to make things accessible!
Thank you! I am not a wheelchair user but I have other disabilities and it means so much when people take the effort to figure out how to make things accessible. I loved your channel before… I love it even more now!
I was a tour guide for 10 years. I loved it. I’m still looking to “steal” techniques whenever I go on a tour. Your tips are awesome. Thank you!
It's wonderful to see Brits all enthusiastic about their nation's history, and proud to recount it for the rest of us. We luv ya J draper.
I'm in the US and they are building a lot of new sidewalks in my town, which is great because they are desperately needed, but I am shocked at how many intersections they fail to put a dropped curb. These are completely new, there is no excuse for not doing it! I wasn't even really thinking of wheelchairs, my thought when I recognized this was for cyclists. (Technically cyclists are supposed to ride on the road, but given how dangerously aggressive and/or inattentive most drivers are, that's a death sentence, so mostly they ride on the sidewalks. There aren't many pedestrians, or cyclists, so it's not actually a big a deal most of the time.) But obviously if a bicycle can't manage, a wheelchair can't manage either. What's especially frustrating about it is that you'll see one intersection with new sidewalk and no dropped curb, and the next intersection down, part of the same new sidewalk, does have it. So it's not like the builder just doesn't know, they clearly do, but for whatever reason they are not being consistent about it. How is this not an automatic to include at this point at every intersection and crosswalk?
Not a legal expert, but that may or may not violate the ADA, you could probably complain to local government especially with a petition or protest campaign
Edit: "Generally, you must provide curb ramps wherever a sidewalk or other pedestrian walkway crosses a curb."
archive.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/chap6toolkit.htm
Because most government projects only do the bare minimum legally. I'm guessing they only need so many dropped curbs. Also, there are absolute crap tons of places that aren't accessible. That seem to go out of their way to make things more difficult. It's never just the one thing or the one place.
"as it's a hot sunny day" - I assume this was recorded last year cos it's been very damp the last couple weeks here in London
And its right about the 1st day of Spring...
In Uni (Rutgers) there was an annual day where the handicapable organization let people borrow a wheelchair and use it for the day to go to all their campus classes.
I lasted half a day before I was just too exhausted. Between the hills that I had *never noticed before* and the dead-ends because of a big curb, it was just tooooo much! I never, ever looked at the campus the same way. I gave a glare to every campus impediment I faced-off with for years after that. Exactly 40 years later, I still notice such things. It was a mind-modifying experience at the lizard-brain level. I highly recommend it to any young person.
was weird to see you use 'handicapable' in 2024 but later you say '40 years later' and the terminology - in the US, in a uni, and in the 1980s - is "of its time."
it definitely is not a good term in itself, though, and is one to avoid even in reference to past situations except in direct quotes or the name of an organisation, a title etc.
My apologies
I appreciate this so much as a crutches/wheelchair user. I’ve never done a walking tour because. Well. Walking.
when I was plotting out walking tours finding accessible loos was also right up there
the accessibility is so important thank you, the amount of events where they don't even consider it is insane
"... where they don't inlcude it is insulting/ offensive/ detestable/ infuriating/ horrible"
I imagine it would not be fun to live there as a wheelchair user. Just wandering around with your friends, then they want to go across the street, so you have to leave for 10 minutes to find a dropped curb so that you can go with them.
One would hope your friends were not the sort to leave you alone to do this
Could you carry some sort of folding board or ramp to get over the curbs?
Not a wheelchair user, but my friends be rowdy. Those asshats would just lift the damn thing...
@@pendlera2959I suppose you could, but those things are either big or useless. I don't know anyone who does that. Personally, when there isn't any ramp or dropped curb option, I sit on the curb, get my wheelchair on/off the sidewalk and get back in.
Welcome to my world
Stunning! You're so amazing & lovely to actually be sorting out wheel chair access for a tour! I often do that for a friend of mine on a daily basis, esp in unfamiliar locations and it can be very frustrating. Kudos to you! 💖
Great video. I think (as a native over here) that “recce” is nearly unknown in the US but was clear from context.
yes, I think your armed forces prefer to say "recon"
Such a great tour, and it took me to a part of London Americans tend not to visit. Great memories. I learned so much about street art that I recognized some of the same artists' work months later in a modern art museum in Amsterdam!
As an American and a (very) part time tour guide, I’ve never heard the word “recce” before but I love it and will see if I can pass it on to my fellow guides. Also, we are quite lucky here as we take wheelchair accessibility for granted due to our strict ADA (Americans with Disability Act) regulations. It’s not perfect and a construction site can cause issues, but it does make setting up a tour much easier.
Would love to hear more about how you plan tours!
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for this. People have no idea the amount of exhausting planning, back-tracking, and problem solving it takes to get around in a wheelchair (also, that one bit with the metal pylons...definitely not big enough for my motorized wheelchair).
Thankyou for your consideration of disabled individuals.
Brava! You are doing wonderful work. Do keep it up!
Sounds like a wonderful tour!
A trip down Bri... I mean memory lane. Used to live in Stepney Green 🥰
Man im so glad I have found your channel, it is a good nugget
Nice one.... never really gave it much thought until have to wheel around a relative, and lots of shops are just diabolical.
Amazing content, and so rare to see a biped thinking so much about accessibility. (No, that dipped curb was NOT dipped enough and Yes please: sort it out Spitalfields!) Thank you! I know others have offered, but if you need a wheelie to test out any routes, I'd love to help! Love your videos - keep them coming.
I am so happy to see you considering accessibility. I had to use a scooter for 5 weeks because I savagely twisted my foot on my son's duplo block. I learned just how inaccessible everyday really is.
Thank you. Very thorough.
Interesting of course you have to look for wheelchair accessibility.
Other concerns?
Like sound levels?
My sister is in a wheelchair after her fall with a horse, and she always says, "I wish I got patience together with the los of the use of my legs. "... we have seen a lot now that we are aware and looking differently at a simple walk around town. (We have seen wheelchair entrances at the top of stairs without a lift... well...😮) thanks for looking with us❤!
Love your content. What is the name of the tour / how do poeple find the tour?
I am not wheelchair bound and do not need this as a consideration but thank you for considering those that do. I have had other disabilities that can make it very difficult to get around properly and some decent accommodations that don't necessarily take a ton of work once they are actually considered are literally life changing.
"I am not a wheelchair user and do not..."
For some reason this reminds me of Del Trotter in Only Fools and Horses when he tries to set a tour business
As a disabled who makes use of a rollator I found London to be 'sort of' accommodating to accessibility yes there are lifts in places like the british museum etc however the SSE arena where I went to see Andre Rieu tried to take my walking aid 'for safety' when I tried getting up to the seating we'd booked so we'd paid for a ticket with a great view but ended up at the back of the arena far from the stage.
Does this mean you might be coming off hiatus soon? Planning a trip that includes London in a few months and hoping you'll start doing them again.
Good for you. I'm a disabled wheelchair busker in London currently locked in a major battle with the Covent Garden Street performers Association.
They have never allowed any disabled performers or musicians to ever perform in Covent Garden or even allowed a single disabled performer or musician to audition.
This is almost certainly going to result in a fairly contentious legal battle between the disabled buskers and performers in London against Westminster City Council Covent Garden and the Covent Garden Street performers. They are quite frankly some of the most diabolical people you could ever want to meet.
They feel they have an absolute right in fact completely entitled to discriminate and dispose of disabled performers like yesterday's rubbish
Unqualified love for J is never a handicap, though certain curbs and cobbles remain a bit problematic…
- XOXOXO!
Glenn
You’re so funny! Where do you get your fantastic energy from? 😅 🇦🇺 👯♀️🤷♀️
Hi what are you woried about drop curbs for ? Thanks❤
Thank you for this.
In England, it’s kerb.
Okay so everyone is talking about how awesome your planning for physically disabled is (and it is!!!) BUT we shouldnt forget to appreciate that ALL the artists are credited too! Thats just extra awesome
Please read: hi, I absolutely LOVE your videos. They’re amazing, entertaining, and very educational, and you seem like a truly wonderful person. Keep on creating content like this. Thank you. Also, I see that you’re wearing a mask in the beginning. If you’re still masking daily, like my family and I, I recommend that you buy some 3M n95s, they filter much better than fabric masks. Wishing you happiness and a great day,
Theo
We were in Athens last week and my goddddd, I don't know how anyone in a wheelchair manages it. London is bad in many places, but Athens would just be impossible. Navigating with a heavy, wheeled suitcase was hard enough
So, I'm British, but I've always wondered; was Anne of Cleeves the first recorded instance of catfishing?
Wow!
That's the place where Mary Kelly lived?
I doubt I'm the only one who's read "From Hell".
😉
Thanks!
When people book their tours with you, can they give you any indication to their disabilities / needs?
Thank you for pointing out the horrible accessibility in Britain!
Sun cream? I've been telling students that it's incorrect English here in Korea. I guess it's fine but it's British (and Korean) English. >.<
I used to do walking tours in NYC. Some sidewalk hatches were around the corner. Some were just not there. It is frustrating. There should be a way to report and request they be put in, although probably not in time for your tour. Here in Seoul we walk out on the street; many have no sidewalks.
0:19 evil dorrito man spotted
Wait, does that mean that Ghost song with Spitalfields is a London art reference?
Thank you 😊
As someone who's parent has mobility issues, thank you so much for your careful consideration. Shame LB Tower Hamlets didn't follow suit.
You look like the theacher from Harry Potter
The simple way to make these stupidly narrow London streets accessible, is to pedestrianise the entire area, and have one level from the buildings on one side to the buildings on the other side, with restricted access for delivery vehicles. Any road with a name ending in "Mews" is not suitable for cars - period.
Mango Loco!
👌
I love you.
Is there some UK disabilities association that could help advise you here? No sense doing the work if they already have the info!
That does not look like a neighborhood you would want to be in...
I used to live round there... it's fine. Lots of arty/hipster types and expensive flats.
Who the hell has designed that curb? 😂 Looks like it's bad for everyone.
Wow, not having to look for lowered sidewalks is something I really take for granted. However, I would cut Spitalfield a bit of break, as you did say the homes were built in the 18th century, and the ADA wasn't exactly in force yet... nor is it in force at all, as you are in London, come to think of it.
114 views, damn
Did u k ow drinking energy drinks more than 2 times a week if bad for ur hart
Wait - “overground”? Is that what you call a regular train, or is that just for light rail, i.e. the underground tube when it emerges?
There is a set of six overground train routes through and around central london run by transport for london collectively known as the "overground" - yes, some of the underground routes do run above ground in places (e.g. the outer south-western edges of the district line) but that's still part of the "underground" as the line belongs to the underground network. We also do have a light rail, but that's known as the DLR or Docklands light railway.
If you look at a london tfl map for 2023 all the "overground" lines are doubled light orange - they're being separated into their own colours in the next iteration of the map, to help confusion over which branch you're on.
One of the tube lines is called the overground, because it is... although I think all the lines are a bit over and under.
Historically, Londoners used the name "overgound" for main-line rail, but it has now been adopted for various commuter routes around London which are operated by TfL (Transport for London).
Jago Hazard has many videos on the evolution of London's transport system, including a recent one explaining what the Overground is.
As a fun fact, the Underground is mostly over ground. Only the core sections are mostly under ground.
@emmarainbow9557 The Overground system is distinct from the Underground. It's definitely not a tube line.
No it's a specific set of train routes in London that are overground and used mainly for commuter services, which is the reason it is compared to the underground. Jago Hazzard has a video explaining it, if you need more info
It looks like a dump, but thats London I suppose.
♿