Sharing my life and areas of inaccessibility, as a full-time electric wheelchair user.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
If I could live anywhere I wanted I would probably stay where I am, but probably in a better house.
I like where I live. I think.
Maybe I just like the known better than the unknown.
At least I know what inaccessibility problems I have to deal with staying here. The unknown is worse.
Make Viewing Platforms Optional for Disabled Concert Attendees
So you’ve all by now read my concert related posts. And without putting to much of an emphasis on it, I’m sick of it.
I’m sick of being forced in accessiblity areas that I don’t think I even need to be in, and then I can’t even see once I’m in them.
If you have any questions about my concert experiences please ask. So much has happened and its been so rough that I find it hard just to write about it. But it’s easier to answer to answer questions.
This goes against the UN Rights of Disabled People. As I’m not getting the same experience as non-disabled people.
I understand why these areas exist for some disabled people, it’s being forced to go in them when you’re disabled and don’t need them that I don’t like.
So can you please sign this petition if you agree with me.
And even share it maybe, if you’re not sure if you agree or not. That way someone that agrees might see it.
It might not do a lot, but it makes me feel like I’m doing something.
Make Viewing Platforms Optional for Disabled Concert Attendees
I’m lay in bed after attending another concert. One I’ve really been looking forward to, and I feel like being disabled ruined it. But logically I know that’s just my internalised ableism talking.
If you read my last post you’ll know that concerts are a complex task for me to begin with. And then to have that seemingly be all for nothing, is just hard.
I can’t say I regret going. But I can say the experience was ruined by supposedly necessary accommodations.
This was my view due to those accommodations.
Not for the first time, when attending a concert, did the accessibility here make me wish that I wasn’t disabled. It’s definitely another venue I will not be going to again
And well there is more I can say and more I should say on all of this. I honestly can’t think too much about this right now without getting upset. So I plan to return to this in the future, when I can emotionally process, just how this really felt.
But for now here’s a picture of my cat, who normally sleeps on my bed, but does not cuddle with me like this. All I can think is they must know I’m upset, we don’t deserve animals.
If you find yourself willing and able , could you check out this petition and sign if you agree.
Again, I’m happy to explain the whole situation, when I feel more emotionally stable and able to do so. I’m sorry for being so brief it’s just been a hard night.
The obvious starts in point for answering this question, is the price of the tickets plus any transaction fees. Then you’ve got to factor in your travel plus overnight stay if relevant. As well as things like food and drink, not forgetting the most important part of the concert or the concert itself, the merchandise.
But of course, it would be too simple for me to be talking about money when I say cost. What I’m actually talking about here is what someone may have to give up in order to go to a concert.
If the idea of having to give something up other than your money and time to go to a concert, doesn’t on its face, seem to make a lot of sense. then honestly, you’re lucky, and probably not disabled.
Now I’m not saying that everybody that goes to a concert has to give up things in order to go, simply that some people do. That I do.
I’ve recently been fortunate enough to be able to go to more concerts than I ever thought possible for me to attend. as you may know if you’ve been reading my blog, not on my experiences with these concerts have been perfect, but still in most cases I’m glad I went. That doesn’t however mean that I have never had to give up anything in order to go to these concerts. When I really think about it, actually, I have to give up a lot.
Here is a list of a few that come to mind as I write this:
1. The most obvious one is my Care. I have to cancel it and spend the night without getting changed. In a previous post I wrote about doing this for someone else but the obviously for concerts I make the decision for myself and my enjoyment. Without being to graphic, this does not only mean that I am in the same clothes, but also that I’m not able to clean personal areas for a period of 24 hours at least. This is I think the hardest thing that I have to give up in order to go to concerts. But honestly with my life, as it currently is there is no other way for me to go.
2. I have to spend an extended period in my wheelchair. While I do this when necessary it’s not good for me and I shouldn’t really do it at all.
3. The view I wanted. I don’t have the option that others have in a freestanding concert to get their hours early and into a good view. The majority of venues are going to have me in a separate area due to my disability, they claim it’s for my own safety but I disagree. I have said a lot more about this in the past.
There’s more that I can’t think of right now I’m sure. But the point of this post is to say that something that might seem as simply as going to a concert, is often more difficult when you’re disabled.
I’m still glad I’m doing it, in fact I’m going to one I’ve been really wanting to go to tonight. But it isn’t always easy.
I’m going to be sore by the moment. And probably still upset about where I will end up sitting. But I get to see them, and hear there music live. So I’m going to try and focus on that and have a great time.
This was the post I planned to write today, but as it is supposed to do, I suppose today’s daily prompt had me writing about screen time before I started this post. But never mind that let’s get into this one.
If it wasn’t obvious by my opening. Paragraph I am actually avoiding writing about this, due to it, still being emotionally raw and complex for me to deal with. However, I think this is something that I don’t write about now I have the time and space to do so. I probably won’t end up writing about it. And this is something that I think it is important to share and needs to be spoken about, or in my case written about more. All this to say just bear with me on this one.
As I write this, I’m sat alone with my babies because my sister is at a concert. Yesterday I was at the concert well at this concert, I posted the TikTok below.
This video is shows where I had to sit for the concert I was at yesterday. Despite arriving to it several hours early and before any other noticeable members of the crowd arrived.
I believed for this concert that I would be able to be near the front, as I am able to be in very similar venues. However, this clearly wasn’t the case and to be completely honest I was very upset about this.
It is often the case in venues that I have to go out the back door, accessibility reasons, but I honestly believe this is just because they don’t want to be sued. I really don’t want to be at the back of venue for a concert. This generally makes me very upset and reminds me that I’m disabled. It’s one of the few things that I really hate as a disabled. I would much rather be in the crowd, even if that meant I couldn’t see. I just want to be part of it. But apparently that’s too much to ask in most venues.
I think it should be the disabled person’s choice as to whether they go in a segregated area if there is one available at the venue. I do not think they should be forced to do this. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why this segregated area exists for some people as they probably feel more comfortable than they would if they were in the main crowd. my problem isn’t with its existence, but with its enforcement.
I love music. I love live music. I love concerts. I hate being segregated.
The segregated platform seems to be something that non-disabled people think disabled people need, and I very much doubt they have asked disabled people this. They certainly didn’t ask me.
It is segregation, not necessary treatment, to force people to go into a different area just because of who they are. If I phrase accessibility platforms like this, it doesn’t sound very fair does it? How would you like it if you thought you were going to have a good view and then had to go out the back, simply because of who you are, at every concert.
As I’ve said, I really don’t believe this is for my own safety, I believe it’s to stop venues getting sued by disabled people, and perhaps non-disabled people where they somehow to be injured by the disabled person.
I believe there should be some sort of waiver that the disabled person is able to sign to say they want to go in the general area, and then they should be allowed to go in the general area like everybody else. Perhaps an additional clause in the terms and condition of general sale tickets to prevent suing a venue if a person becomes injured while in a crowd should be added to the general sale tickets. In my opinion, something needs to be done so I and others that want to experience the way they want to.
Making me go out the back leaves me emotionally conflicted throughout the concert and honestly taints, the memories I have of it. That said I am not about to let this stop me going to concerts, I just wish my experience was different. To be honest honest, I just wish I wasn’t disabled when I’m at some concerts. Which when you, think about it is really sad
I apologise if this post isn’t clear or well thought out as I said, I’m still very emotionally triggered by this.
Disclaimer this post was written using voice to text. Please alert me of any mistakes that make the content unclear and I will fix them as soon as possible.
What are your favorite websites?
If you ask me the greatest, and most dangerous, thing about the internet is the range of what you can do on it.
The beauty of the internet is that you can do anything you want on it.
It’s hard for me to say what my favourite websites are, but I would have to say it’s probably those that connect me with others or help to access the world. Social media, like Facebook or Instagram, apps like Google and Google Maps are a god send for accessibility and independent travel.
The world is incredible inaccessibility, in ways I don’t really notice as I am simply so used to live in it. But the internet helps me find my way through it and make it more accessible.
So I’ve been going to more concerts and events lately, and while this is great, it means explaining my disability over and over again, and apply for the accessible seating and carers support. There is supposed to be one universal way to do this, but unsuprisingly some places simply won’t take it or have different ways to send the information they deem as necessary to them.
Something I’m applying to currently has taken so long for me to sort out, that the tickets in the area that I wanted have now gone. This means that my sister who was supposed to be going as my carer, now may not be able to sit with us. And honestly this defeats the point of carer when you think about it.
Hopefully I am able to get it sorted, but we’ll see. But this one is just a reminder of the extra steps that exist in doing pretty much anything when your disabled, and the reality is that even when you’ve done all of them you might not be able to go, or you might not be able to sit with the people you wanted to go with.
To explain this better I’m going to include a list of all the extra steps I had to take in order to get tickets for this event, simply because I am a wheelchair user.
This is 5 extra steps that I have had to take, so far, in order to attend this event. And believe me when I say this has been one of the more simple events to figure out the accessibility of.
If the world was more accessible as a whole, and disability was simply viewed as part of the norm, I and many others would not be having to deal with this simply to have some fun.
Please forgive me if the spelling isn’t to accurate on this post, I used a public computer, so the settings aren’t exactly right for me. That said, as always do let me know if any mistakes impact the clarity of this post.
One day it’s just not going to happen if its not accessible. That will be the norm.
The use of reusable cups in places is not something new, or something which I object to at all. Reusable cups are clearly great for the environment. The problem comes with how you wash them, and the fact that washing these reusable cups is a task left to the customer.
This can often make these reusable cups and inaccessible to disabled people like myself. meaning that we run into problems when trying to clean up so they can be refilled in places. Personally this is not something I am able to do, in my experiences places will not refill cup that has been used without your cleaning it first. I even explained that I would be very happy to have the cup simply rinsed out, yet they didn’t want to do this. And while I understand there reasoning for this it resulted in a reusable cup becomes a single cup for me. So then I wonder what the point on me even carrying a reusable cup is if I can’t reuse it?
I do understand the concerns with refilling used cups that are not clean, but if someone is unable to clean their own cup, I don’t see how you can have it both ways. How you can expect them to use something that’s inaccessible to them and not help them to use it.
Let me see if I can explain for those of you reading this who may not understand why I cannot wash a reusable cup. The biggest reason for me is the spoons involved in cleaning it. It is simply energy I can’t afford to use every day. Then we are talking about having to do this multiple times a day. Including finding somewhere to wash the cup out that is also accessible, it all costs more spoons I don’t have.
This is a bigger problem at least for me personally than it may appear. I have struggled for a lot of my life with chronic dehydration, and if I was restricted to the use of only cups require more spoons I can very easily see myself further restricting my liquid intake, and becoming more dehydrated.
If places are only going to allow the use of reusable cups instead of single use cups, this makes Ann accessible to someone who can’t clean their own reusable cup.
Ideas of sustainability seem to cost accessibility, the removal of plastic straws are a perfect example of this. A small improvement in sustainability that was implemented with little or no consideration for the impact on disabled people. It didn’t change anything for non disabled people so the argument was lost.
This example is more easily made accessible. Simply, allow restaurants and coffee shops to rinse reusable cups for customers. It’s not a perfect solution but it is a solution this could work.
All I am really asking is can we please consider disabled people in movements of sustainability. We often need single use products, straws, cups, ready cut fruit, to make the world accessible to us. I’m not asking for sustainability to be forgotten, but simply for accessibility to be considered as part of sustainability to. Disabled people live in the world to.
What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?
And how sad is that, when you really think about it.
I think the hardest goal I’ve set for myself is one I set accidentally, and one I will never reach.
For me, though I don’t like to admit it, being normal is synonymous with being non-disabled. And while I am aware that I can’t be non disabled, sometimes I try to be as close to that as a can be.
Sometimes I think this is why I push myself so hard in day to day life. As I’m trying my best to be the most normal, non disabled me, I can be.
And it’s not that I want to be able to walk or really not to be disabled. It’s everything else that comes along with that normality. It’s accessibility and inclusion. It’s a place to belong in the world.
And the ableism and exclusion in the world around me, mean that I have translated this into being non disabled.
So while I know that I’m going to fail in this unreachable goal of mine. Whether I like it or not I think I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to get as close to it as possible. And I know logically that this is bad, that it’s letting the internalised ableism win. But unfortunately for me it’s also productive, which makes it hard to resist doing.
I just want to succeed, which I don’t think is a bad thing. But how I get there might end up being bed for me in the long run. But as what I’m doing now works, I guess future me will just have to figure all that out when it happens.
My Inaccessible Life 