Category: Let's talk
I was talking to my friend Stevie today and were discussing the Disability discrimination bill which became legal on October 1st 2004..{DDA made it illegal to discriminate against any disabled person also every store, business, pub and form of transport must be accessible to every disabled person} my friend Stevie has been paraplegic for 5 years after a car accident and he has seen very little in the way of change even after this legislation,even more worrying groups representing disabled people have been slow to react to discrimination and problems relating to access the places I mentioned above the DDA seems to have made little difference but were we really expecting any
things like that make me mad. If the gov say they're going to do something, they should do it! I hope that all works out with your friend and stuff, but I know government, and it probably won't.
I agree with Jenn.
well nothing has changed I'm afraid the access issue is as prevalant as it was before and we are still constantly moved on from places where we are not consistant with the store's corporate image!...Sorry I'll give you an example.
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We were hanging around outside Buchanan Galleries shopping centre recently deciding where to go next, when this numpty in a suit appeared and asked no told! Us to move Stevie and I ignored the him and waited for his reaction..my friend put on his brakes and whispered "dont bloody move a muscle" We stood there for about 5 minutes while he threatened to call security at which point Stevie told him "If you so much as think about it I will call my lawyer and we will leave you with nothing not even that 2nd hand and very cheap suit so just turn around like a good boy and go back to polishing your jackboots".Under the DDA if he had threatened to remove us physically using security we would have had grounds to sue.
Well, that particular story is awful, there was no reason other than you guys being disabled that made the guy want to remove you from the premises right, it's not like you were drunk or threatening anyone or anything (I definitely don't think so, just clarifying).
In general though, I think rules like this really need to be respected/followed for building of new businesses and also that as much be done to existing businesses as possible to comply. I would not e.g. expect a pub to be closed just because it happens to be on the second floor of an old building where an elevator can't be installed, a lot of people enjoy this pub and there is no reason a disabled person could not go somewhere else. Ok, this could be taken the wrong way, I'm saying, if it's impossible to fix something for a small business that's been around since the law was imposed I don't think an action or complaint can be made and those who enjoy the place should continue to do so. However where accessibility can be improved at a reasonable cost or if a new business/building is set up after the law is imposed ignoring the stipulations regarding accessibility that should be dealt with as strongly as possible.
cheers
-B
No we were perfectly sober and sheltering from the rain
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That's another slant on things yes the disabled punters could go elsewhere, but there are very few places to go that can and will willingly accomodate someone in a chair. Bath Street alone home to many good pubs/clubs ect yet all of them are inaccessable and still remain so. those business's ect that refused to comply with the bill were supposed to be fined up to £10,000 for not complying in Glasgow its business as usual...even in our beloved Failte the toilets are downstairs and the nearest 1's are 200 yards down the street that's unacceptable in 2005
b you're right, according to the act, businesses only have to take "reasonable steps" to make their businesses accessible, so actually, a pub that is on the 2nd floor where an elevator cannot be installed is not able to make their premises accessible and is therefore not in breach of the act.
it's a bit of a cop out but in all reality, some of these businesses are only small businesses and cannot afford to make referbishments like that. I always do feel for wheel chair users though - there was a piece on watchdog the other week where they sent 6 wheelchair users out in different parts of the country to gage accessibility and they had a terrible time of it. It's the wheelchair users that suffer the most - the law was actually changed some time in 2003 I think it was, I'm sure Lawlord will have the exact dates, grin, that said that, for instance, guide dogs cannot be refused entry to any business, and in March 2004 it became illegal for taxis to refuse to carry a guide dog. Personally though I've never had any problems on that score
yes the act has some loopholes dont they all..but i do know that many glasgow taxis would prefer to accept a fare from an obnoxious drunk who may throw up over their upholstery, than a sober blind fella and his highly trained dog I've seen it happen far too often.Also some business's ect are using this loop hole as an excuse to do bugger all! Which again is unacceptable while others bleat about the cost I dont accept that excuse at all.
are glasgow council sympathetic? when i lived in cardiff if a taxi driver refused to take you with a dog they'd take his licence away, and that was before the law was changed
Wow, that is so cool, cab drivers here are often very strange when a blind person gets in, apparently, and sadly, blind peole have a history of hardly paying their fairs, let alone pay any tips (according to my mobility instructor) once you pay them and give them reasonable tips at the end they usually are very helpful and happy, but yeah there's definitely this weird first impression. I've never had a guide dog so I don't know what would happen if I brought one in.
No they definately are not sympathetic in their rush to turn Glasgow into a leading shopping destination disabled people were consistantly excluded and/or never consulted about what requirments or changes they would like to see. Almost every shop on Buchanan street is inaccessible and the council seem content to stay with the status quo because "its not commercially viable to alter every store apparently there aren't enough wheelchair users to make it worthwhile".
Wildebrew here the person can prosecute if the taxi driver refuses to accept the fare..but not many bother due to the incredible insidious negativity among the blind comunity in Glasgow
well maybe if more did, then people would change their way of doing things. That's the problem - the more people sit and accept the way things are, the less likely it is that things will change. I know that it isn't always possible - i have, for instance been discriminated against when looking for a job, and to sue someone for not employing you because you are blind would potentially be detremental - it would most likely make it to the media and you'd be branded a trouble maker and it would effect your chances in the employment market, but situations such as where a taxi driver refuses to carry a dog are different, and are resolveable, it just needs a couple of people to act on it, and word will get around.
its often the way in Scotland we are taught to just accept our lot and there's feck all we can do to change the situation, but as my friend said in an earlier post "I'm tired of the bruises from banging my head against a brick wall".
Yeah you have a fiar point Goblin.
Caitlin
But as we know the walls can come down its just a matter of someone having the guts to swing the sledgehammer.