Wheelchairs and theatres

Trialia

What's parking got to do with anything? Nobody's even mentioned the idea of parking being free. I think you replied to the wrong thread.

Homemade_2

Invasion wrote: »

Thanks to all of you for your help, dmg, these were the first dates out, I'm not sure there are even tickets left for other venues, and some of the dates aren't till next year earliest, but thankyou very much for the warning re accessibility. Do you know if we'll be able to park for free/reduced with BB?

It's just a shame, I know that they've not technically done anything wrong, apart from the fact that have a duty to tell you when you book you won't be seated next to the people you go with... I do understand the issues with fire safety etc it's just a shame really, it sounds extreme, but I probably wouldn't have gone had I known about this in the first place.

Will definitely be writing a letter highlighting the issues I have with the whole experience, if nothing else maybe it'll help someone else.

Here it is....correct thread.

Homemade_2

Trialia wrote: »

What's parking got to do with anything? Nobody's even mentioned the idea of parking being free. I think you replied to the wrong thread.

See the above post. Not the wrong thread. Correct thread that I read all the way through properly.

Debt_Free_Chick

This could be a simple misunderstanding in that the theatre may have expected a request for a carer to be seated next to/near to the disabled person. Being in a wheelchair does not automatically mean being seated next to a carer. Conversely, many who need to be seated next to a carer will not be in a wheelchair. The two issues are separate and it's understandable to see that, perhaps, two separate requests should have been made.

cyberbob

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

This could be a simple misunderstanding in that the theatre may have expected a request for a carer to be seated next to/near to the disabled person. Being in a wheelchair does not automatically mean being seated next to a carer. .

If you buy tickets at the same time you assume they will be together. I'm sure if when people ordered tickets for the non wheelchair seats if they were placed in random seats and not together there would be a huge fuss.
I have been to a few occasions with my wife when we have bought tickets and they expected me to sit rows back from the wheelchair area. Not good when sharing popcorn. Ive complained at the time and they have moved me.

Complain thats the only way situations like this will change

Debt_Free_Chick

cyberbob wrote: »

If you buy tickets at the same time you assume they will be together.

I don't think it's right to assume anything like this, to be honest. Very many wheelchair users are fiercely independent - and rightly so. Just because they're in a wheelchair does not mean that they need the (constant) attention of a carer.

The theatre and other service/product providers are on a hiding to nothing IMHO. If they assume that wheelchair users need care, those who don't will be offended at the suggestion that they are not independent. If they assume they don't, those that do will feel that the service/product provider is being insensitive.

Neither party should "assume" that the other knows their needs. If you need something, ask for it

longhotbath

sh1305 wrote: »

You can't expect them to phone up loads of people and say "sorry; we've had to move you, so someone else could sit there", or do you?

What????

I do not expect people to move once they have bough their tickets - what I wrote is that by making the theatre aware that wheelchair users tend to have family and friends too, that they dont sell the non-disabled seats next to the wheelchair space and carer seat FIRST - before anything else in the theatre. These seats sell well always, and the theatre in question has implimented this - for a couple of weeks after release dates for family performances, to give families with wheelchair using children a little time to get their act into gear. It is a change that has worked very well, but they were not aware that it was an issue for some of us until we contacted them about it.

LameWolf

Milton Keynes Theatre say that they keep the wheelchair accessible seats back until last, unless they are actually booked for a wheelchair user.

As I understand it, they have removable seats, and just take out the ones needed to put a wheelchair in.

I have never had any problems getting a wheelchair space, with my husband in a seat alongside me.

That said, MK Theatre is a modern building, and was built with disabled access given a lot of thought.

Even if I didn't need a carer with me (I do, as I get dreadful panic attacks if he's not there) I'd still want to sit with my husband; the theatre "experience" just wouldn't be the same otherwise.

dmg24

LameWolf wrote: »

Milton Keynes Theatre say that they keep the wheelchair accessible seats back until last, unless they are actually booked for a wheelchair user.

As I understand it, they have removable seats, and just take out the ones needed to put a wheelchair in.

I have never had any problems getting a wheelchair space, with my husband in a seat alongside me.

That said, MK Theatre is a modern building, and was built with disabled access given a lot of thought.

Even if I didn't need a carer with me (I do, as I get dreadful panic attacks if he's not there) I'd still want to sit with my husband; the theatre "experience" just wouldn't be the same otherwise.

The beauty of smaller venues - whoever thought up the idea of arenas should be shot!

daska

Most people, when booking tickets, expect the seats to be together and in my experience theatres will always point out when they are unable to provide adjacent seats because they expect people to want to sit together.

Therefore, to not offer this courtesy because one of the party is disabled is surely discrimination in that it is treating the disabled person differently simply because they are disabled.