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| London Transport (uk.transport.london) Discussion of all forms of transport in London. |
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#13
March 21st 07, 03:17 PM
posted to uk.transport.london
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The Last Bus
In message , Helen Deborah
Vecht writes "John Rowland" typed wrote: Here is the detail of the formal complaint I have lodged at the Disability Rights Commission about Mr. Edwards: may I suggest others who see the idiocy of his comments do likewise? Don't bother. I contacted the DRC about a policy change which was not widely known but would have a negative impact on the mobility of wheelchair users... I was told that since I was not disabled myself, they had no interest in anything I had to say! What a load of RUBBISH! I was given a really quite brusque brush-off when I contacted them a year or so ago for clarification about someone who was blind and who came on some of my walking tours. He refused a helper (who would have been accommodated free of charge) and I didn't want him to undertake a particular walk because it involved going via a canal lock gate. Their initial reply was that I should re-route the walk but - as it was a canal walk - this really removed the principal or intrinsic interest of the tour. When I pressed the point for advice about how to deal with this or what my rights v responsibilities were, they took the same line outlined above by John Rowland. When pressed further, they said that it would be up to a court to decide what the law meant. In interpreted this as I needed to get myself charged with a possible offence to see whether or not I would be breaking the law. Given that I was seeking advice, I was disappointed and c0oncerned about the whole matter and I confess it's coloured my view of the subject considerably. Able-bodied people have plenty of valid comments to make if they act as wheelchair-pushers, companions, drivers or rail staff with/of disabled people. And in my case, someone who is pretty much able-bodied trying to do the right thing, by ensuring that no-one was put in danger or at risk. This speaks of chipped-shoulder discrimination which makes me HATE some radical disabled groups. Not all disabilities are equal, not all disabled people are equal, not all are wheelchair users. And thereby hangs the crux of this matter. "Disability" tends always to conjure up images of people in wheelchair when it can cover so many other things. A person with hearing or sight problems is better served by a bus with a conductor, for example. There is no "one size fits all" solution and attempts to find one will fail. For some people with disabilities, a Routemaster is wonderful as there is a good chance that a seat will be available and there's a conductor to help. In the latter days of RM operation, I found such help from conductors sadly lacking. However, the conductors on the Heritage Routes seem to take this part of their duties very seriously. -- Ian Jelf, MITG Birmingham, UK Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk |
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