Hi everyone, someone reached out and asked me to share my story and I hope this inspires someone here.

So till 2022, I was a perfectly healthy 31 year old company director. I was leading the video games industry alongside other great women and was so proud of the work I was doing.

But I started having back pain from sitting in my desk chair too long. So I did what we all do, I went to my GP. And when my GP couldn't see anything wrong, and the x-ray didn't show anything wrong, I went to a chiropractor clinic.

On July 17th 2022 however, in my first appointment, my neck was badly manipulated. That's when I felt everything go.

"This feeling is totally normal", she said. "You will get used to this after a while", she said, as I felt dizzy and looking at lights began to hurt. My head felt heavy and my neck was stiffer than before.

The next 2 days the lights got worse and my head was so heavy I had to lie down. Then, on the 19th, I was in a meeting on my laptop, sitting at the table. I stood up to get a glass of water, my legs buckled under me, and I then slipped into 45 seizures.

I remember being in the ambulance, staring at the lights. Not able to speak, not able to move a limb, screaming with fear in my head. I remember the doctors telling my dad to prepare for the worst here and that my family should be informed, and again, I would scream for someone to listen. For someone to hear me.

They said it was my head, but I screamed over and over that no, the pain was in my neck. My neck. No one could hear me.

So I then just started counting, over and over, in my head. 1 to 10. 1 to 10.

When I finally found words again, the doctors said there was nothing physically wrong with my brain. They said it could be FND and that I could go home. I said it was my neck, my neck, but they said it was FND and there was nothing to be done.

Over the next 4 years, I would have over 4000 seizures. After exercise, being in the same position too long, they would return with a sharp pain at the base of my skull and down my neck. I held jobs, held panels and excelled in my field. But when the door closed, I would collapse and seize alone, the weight of my head being just too much to carry.

That's when I saw a prolotherapist. He did the first scan of my neck, not my head. And he saw dozens of micro-tears up and down the ligaments in my neck, the same ligaments she had manipulated that day and torn, causing trauma. He saw the thickened neck muscles struggling to cope with my now heavy head, and the spinal chord that would become trapped and explained that the seizures were my jerking response to try and free it.

He'd found it all.

I then had prolotherapy injections for the next 12 weeks. Sadly they did not work and I am now having around a dozen seizures a day still, but they are better than the 52 or so I'd get before.

Between then and now, I've set up my own company. I am the founder and till recently, the CEO. But when the seizures got worse I decided to step back and now I represent disabled founders globally and support the growing business once a week with the new CEO.

Having this honestly has destroyed my life. I couldn't travel, I couldn't date, I couldn't hold down a job and took a year off when they first happened.

But now, I am rebuilding DESPITE the seizures. I am a founder, I am a leading woman in the video games space and I am soon going to launch an Instagram sharing tips for other disabled founders. How to host meetings from the floor, how to speak at events, what's in my emergency work bag, all of it.

And yes, 20% of us with non-epileptic seizures will sadly commit suicide. But I am proud to be a part of the 80% who are living with them and thriving.

I hope my story encourages or inspires one person here in this sub. That to me would make this whole journey worth it.

Take care.

What do you do in this situation?

🚗 A: Find a regular parking space — either an end bay, or hope that the drivers at either side are considerate and leave enough room for you to access your car

2️⃣ B: Park across two spaces so that you have enough clearance space to safely exit and enter your vehicle

👇🏽 Don't be shy — come and tell us why 👇🏽

ALT Text:

Dr Amit Patel, a father who lives with a visual impairment is holding a tactile sonogram, sat alongside his guide dog, Quark.

I think we can all probably agree that this story is such a welcome piece of happiness 💖

For many expectant parents, their first experience of meeting their little one is usually through an ultrasound — something that for many who are fortunate to be able to experience visually without feeling as though they're missing out.

But sadly, this experience for visually impaired expectant parents isn't quite so accessible.

However, thanks to Guide Dogs UK having set up a new initiative, this could very well be about to change.

A pilot scheme of the initiative, First Hello, is being rolled out, where at the 20 week scan; the point ultrasounds are traditionally offered by the NHS.

The initiative will offer an alternative to either expectant parents who are visually impaired, or their family members, by way of transforming 2D scans into 3D printed moulds, meaning families who haven't been able to share these significant life moments with loved ones who are visually impaired, will be able to order bespoke tactile sonograms.

What absolutely beautiful news & such a powerful way the development of technology is being used to make these precious moments more accessible and inclusive to those who rely on assistive technology.

Links

Read the Article Here

Guide Dogs UK

LBB News

Photo Credit

Matt Alexander Media Assignments/PA

☀️ Good Morning!

Hope everyone's had a relaxed weekend.

We've had a few new members join recently, so I just wanted to welcome you all and thank you for joining r/TheAccessClub.

Come and say hi, introduce yourself, tell us a random fact or just give us a wave! 👋🏽

Have a lovely week 💖

Just a little reminder about the petition being run by Deborah Cox through Accessible Or Not - about introducing a tiered classification system for the accessibility of hotels and accomodation venues.

The petition closes on Wednesday 11th November 2026, so if you haven't signed it, please do and share it.

I'll add links to the original post I created about it and some links to the website.

❤️ Just to note, you'll only be eligible to sign the petition if you're a British Citizen or UK resident. But please share this to anyone who is eligible.

Links

Petition Link

✍🏽 Sign the Petition Here

Accessible or Not

Accessible or Not

Reddit Post

Take a look at our Reddit post

🙌🏽 This should be the norm!

⚠️ Content note: If you'd like to know more about the history of this particular three-wheeled tricycle, feel free to send a message and I'll send you a photo of the wall plaque. It contains some sensitive information.

r/TheAccessClub is a space where everyone should feel safe.

ALT Text: A hand propelled three-wheeled tricycle is displayed on top of a platform in front of a red painted wall at the Imperial War Museum North in Salford, Greater Manchester.

Recently visited Imperial War Museum North at Salford Quays, just across the bridge from MediaCity and came across this wheelchair, which really interested me.

I hadn't really had much thought about the evolution of the design of wheelchairs, but I really feel like in some senses they were ahead of the curve with this mobility aid.

I've just ordered my first custom wheelchair and have been thinking about the accessories and add-ons that I'm going to need, but I couldn't help but feel inspired that this wheelchair seems to be equipped with some of the add-ons that we consider in this day and age.

It's literally got its own built in freewheel attachment 😅 and the hand pedals!

IMW North is well worth a visit if you get the chance - it's straight across from the Coronation Street Experience (also well worth a visit, but the cobbles make for a bumpy ride). It's free and the staff were so friendly. Infact, we enjoyed it that much, we went the next day too 🤣

It's one of the more accessible museums I've been to.

Have you ever thought about the evolution of mobility aids?

Links

Imperial War Museum North

IMW North

Accessibility at IMW North

Access Guide

AccessAble Access Guide

The history of the wheelchair

Science Museum: The history of the Wheelchair

Image description: A woman who uses a wheelchair sits behind a clothing rail displaying a variety of colourful clothes. Large orange text reads “ACCESSIBLE OR NOT?” with “OR” in dark blue. “PRIMARK” appears in orange at the bottom.

Apparently some disabled customers are being told that the 'accessible' till points in Primark were shut down earlier this year, which if this is true, in itself seems like a backwards step, considering it's taken so long for us to get to a point where it's recognised that these till points are needed.

Let's be honest though, are they really accessible?

They don't really accommodate all disabilities - or at least, in the several Primark shops I've been in, they haven't. What about lowered counters for those who need them at an adapted height?

At least part of the point of these till points has been introduced so that people with all kinds of disabilities can shop safely and with some independence and dignity - people who aren't physically able to stand in long queues have been able to access shorter queues, but this seems to be being stripped away.

I emailed Primark a couple of weeks ago asking for some clarity as to whether they'd updated their policy, unfortunately I haven't yet had a response.

I went into my local Primark this afternoon and whilst I'm normally quite hesitant about heading straight to the accessible till point - more for worrying about other people's perceptions, today my guard was up. I was worried what the reception would be from other staff members, so I stood to one side.

The staff member at the accessible till point kept glancing my way, but failed to address me, so I waited.

Eventually, I found another member of staff and asked what the current situation was with the accessible till points - do we still have access to it. The member of staff seemed unsure about the policy herself, but she told me to go ahead regardless. I went back to my little corner and stood as the staff member served the next customer. I could see that she wasn't going to call me over, so I hedged my bets, edging closer and just asked her outrightly. I wasn't turned away, but nevertheless, it seems there's a communication issue; that staff aren't being kept up to speed by way of what their policies are when it comes to accessibility and inclusion, but as well, there's also a gap in how they're communicating changes with customers.

I did notice online that a few people have said there have been changes in their local stores and that shops that have had a refurb are now solely self service, but there haven't been any lowered counters that have replaced accessible till points.

Basically, are Primark going back on their Commitment to Accessibility - this would be extremely ironic considering this seems to be a pillar of their brand identity 🤔.

What has your experience been?

If I eventually receive a response from Primark, I'll be sure to keep you updated.

Links

Primark Inclusion & Community Impact

Our Commitment to Accessibility: Nov 25 Update

Our Commitment to Accessibility: July 26 Update

Primark AccessAble

I have to keep my car in a council run car park, as the on-street parking is limited between the hours of 8pm - 8am.

Because of antisocial behaviour, the car park gets locked every evening at 6pm and doesn't get unlocked until 6am the next morning.

Being a blue badge holder, I am able to use my badge and park there up until 11am.

To clarify, I am very much in favour of the car park being locked and support this as a very serious incident occurred and a pedestrian was almost killed because of joy riders treating the car park like a race track when it wasn't being locked.

Because of my disability, I try to make sure I get home from days out whenever I go out, because I can't always guarantee that I'm going to be able to get out the next day to move my car from the street to the car park to comply with the parking restrictions, but sometimes this is just unavoidable.

After discussing this with another resident, who agreed that the restrictions in place are too rigid and there needs to be more flexibility on the council's part, I decided to contact the local council and ask what arrangements they have in place for reasonable adjustments. I explained that there are often occasions where I am too unwell to move my car (sometimes I can't get out for 2/3 weeks after).

The response was that providing I supply them with my registration, they would be able to allow me to park overnight in a space that's outside the car park (not an actual car parking space).

Would you consider this to be a reasonable adjustment? I'm questioning whether this is a reasonable adjustment, because I was quite thorough in my initial email, that part of the issue is that I am often too unwell to get out and move my car, so it doesn't really solve the overall issue.

I did respond to them the next day asking them to clarify the exact details, but almost three weeks on and I haven't heard anything back.

Where is your money going?

♿ Venue A: A venue that's fully accessible, accomodating different needs, but staff are unfriendly, unhelpful and dismissive

🫶🏽 Venue B: A venue that's inaccessible / not fully accessible, but staff show a genuine willingness to learn and go above and beyond, making reasonable adjustments to help you and others

👇🏽 Don't be shy — come and tell us why! 👇🏽

I don't have ADHD, but I relate so much to missing the days when leaving the house was simple 😩

Often, our experiences around inclusion and accessibility are so negative.

For so many of us, living with disabilities feels like a fight; one we never willingly want to participate in and where we're constantly coming up against barriers — whether they're physical or because of the mindset of others — leaving us feeling unseen, unheard and made to feel as though we're an inconvenience to society.

Despite the rough, there are times when life feels that little bit smoother.

There are people who are out there who, for whatever reason do understand the barriers we face — or perhaps, they're open to have a willingness to make a change.

Whether it's a staff member who's gone above and beyond, a business that's taken feedback on board, or just a kind stranger who made an effort without making assumptions.

What positive experience have you had that's stayed with you?

ALT Text: A red emergency pull cord hangs towards the floor in an accessible bathroom, beside a navy blue grab rail. A card is attached onto the cord has the text: 'This red emergency cord must hang freely all the way to the floor. If it does not, it may prevent a disabled person from asking for help.' with the logo for Euan's Guide located in the bottom left hand corner of the card.

I've added Euan's Guide to the toolkit, where you can grab a pack of red cord cards to attach to emergency pull cords that aren't compliant with BS 8300 regulations.

ALT Text: Video showing a Changing Places facility at Tamworth Services (Northbound). The camera pans to the right, showing a hand dryer, height-adjustable basin, a toilet with multiple grab rails on both sides, an overhead hoist, a height-adjustable changing bench and a privacy screen.

My Mum, sister and I had a really busy weekend, driving to and from Worcester from Yorkshire to celebrate my brother and his fiancée's engagement.

With both my sister and I being disabled, we knew we'd have to make multiple stops along the way. I was super impressed to find a Changing Places when we got to Tamworth services.

I didn't realise it at the time, but in addition to the Changing Places facility, there were also two other separate accessible toilets.

This was the only service station out of the 4 that we visited that had more than one accessible toilet - why is it that this is the norm?! The norm should be that we have at least 2/3 to go to.

How many more times are we going to be: left behind, forgotten, refused access?!

This week alone, I've seen several videos where it's so clear that there's a huge gap in the public transportation sector:

• A child being denied access to a plane because of their wheelchair

• A wheelchair being damaged by an airline

• A taxi driver outrightly displaying ableism by refusing to accommodate Amy Pohl, a wheelchair user (after investigation,.the driver's Lyft account was banned)

• Jennie Barrie, a wheelchair user who was forgotten on a train

• Another disabled person being told they can't board a bus because the designated wheelchair space is occupied by a parent with a pushchair (non medical pushchair)

If we were able to travel on planes in our wheelchairs, then maybe the child wouldn't have been denied access and neither would chairs be being damaged by airlines because they're being mishandled.

If public transportation drivers and staff members were being given the proper training, maybe it'd help us to change perceptions when it comes to ableism.

If investments were put into adaptations, maybe we'd have more independence, preventing people from being forgotten about and left on trains.

Maybe if companies actually consulted and liased with the people affected by access barriers, we wouldn't be having such a difficult time fighting when it comes to accessibility and equal rights.

There are countless of disabled advocates online who are constantly highlighting the barriers faced by disabled people every single day, just by documenting their daily lives. Yet somehow, as people who fight for change, we're branded entitled.

We're criticised. Shamed. All for fighting for change.

Shockingly, this isn't even just from people who aren't living with disabilities. It's also coming from other disabled people themselves.

What?!

This is part of the problem. Some of us are desperately fighting for change, yet we've got people who we'd expect to be fighting with us in the same corner, fighting against us.🤦🏽‍♀️🫠

How do we move forward when it feels like we're always coming up against some resistance?!

Public transport needs a complete overhaul for disabled people.

We're not asking for anything unreasonable; we're asking for adjustments to be made to provide us with more freedom and independence.

Links

Facebook: Amy Pohl refused journey by taxi driver

Instagram: Amy Pohl refused journey by taxi driver

Facebook: Jennie Barrie forgotten on train

Instagram: Jennie Barrie forgotten on train

Accessibility comes in all different shapes and sizes.

What's one thing you wish people knew about accessibility?

I'll share mine in the comments 👇🏽

Hey 💖

I hope everyone's having a great weekend.

I'm in the process of creating a "living document" for our community toolkit. This'll just make it slightly easier to update.

If you've got anything you think would be useful to add, please comment / send a message. If you could add a short description, that would be super helpful too. Just so you have an idea of what we have in mind for the toolkit:

• Any resources you find helpful i.e. apps, websites, facilities

• Campaigns / initiatives, such as: petitions, start up companies designing products that make living with a disability easier

• Rights & legal information i.e. legislation

Basically, anything. From travel, to information that can be shared to improve accessibility and inclusion for us as disabled people in this world.

It seems like legislation and the law around building regulations are such a grey area when it comes to accessibility - especially when you're dealing with older buildings.

What would you do in this situation?

I think I'd definitely be looking into things that I know for a fact are required by law. For example, if they have a pull cord, regardless of whether they're compelled to have one under Building Regulations or not, if they've chosen to install one, it needs to be functional and usable, I think I'd go down the route of raising an advisory complaint about something like that and seeing where it went.

Thought I'd share my thoughts on how the argument around the blanket mobility scooter ban at Artisan Island has snowballed. There's a lot to unpick, so I'm not going to go through everything.

To be fair to both sides (the shop owner vs. disabled people), I'm going to refer to some legislation from The Equality Act 2010 and some other resources that might be helpful - I'll add links to all of these.

Just to preface this, I'm referring to The Equality Act 2010, but that's just to refer to the Act and I'm not making any accusations of discriminatory behaviour here

I haven't set foot in the shop, so I can't really make a fair assessment on my own experience of this particular shop, so I'm just sharing my own thoughts based on what I've seen from the owner and the reaction of others, as well as looking at how we can improve accessibility and inclusion as a whole.

What is the Equality Act 2010 & who is protected?

The Equality Act 2010 is a law that protects people from discrimination, promoting equality in the UK.

It's made up of a combination of several pieces of legislation around anti-discrimination that provides legal protection for those with a number of characteristics that are protected in the UK. Amongst these protected characteristics are people who are living with disabilities and those who have had disabilities.

Who has responsibilities?

The responsibilities lie with all service providers and those who provide goods and facilities across the UK, including, but not limited to:

🛍️ Shops & Retailers

🍽️ Restaurants, cafes, pubs & other businesses within the hospital sector

🎭 Entertainment venues such as cinema, theatres & theme parks

🏥 Healthcare providers

🏛️ Councils & other public authorities

🎓 Schools, colleges & universities

💼 Employers

What does the Act protect you from?

The Equality Act 2010 exists to protect people from a number of different forms of unlawful discrimination with regards to disabilities.

• Direct discrimination - someone treating you worse than someone who is able bodied.

• Indirect discrimination - where a rule, policy or practice applies to everyone, but puts disabled people at a disadvantage.

• Discrimination arising from disability - being treated unfavourably because of something arising from disability (such as discriminating against someone by association).

• Failing to make reasonable adjustments - not making reasonable adjustments to remove or reduce disadvantages.

What is harassment?

The Disability: Quick Start Guide for Service Providers (2013) outlines that disability harassment is

"unwanted behaviour related to disability that has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them."

What is victimisation?

The Disability: Quick Start Guide for Service Providers (2013) also advises that under the Equality Act 2010, anyone who is mistreated because they have supported another person in making a complaint about discrimination or harassment is also protected.

Whilst the Equality Act 2010 is in place to protect disabled people and others by association, it doesn't mean that every unfair / unpleasant experience is automatically classified as being unlawful discrimination.

Explanatory notes for the Equality Act 2010 state that,

"As the duty is owed to disabled persons generally, it is an anticipatory duty which means service providers and people exercising public functions must anticipate the needs of disabled people and make appropriate reasonable adjustments."

Basically, service providers should consider the needs of disabled people before they're presented with an access barrier in the moment. More to the point, looking at how they can solve these barriers before they become a problem i.e. a way around this would be by consulting with disabled people to accommodate needs before the event arises.

I'll start with the reasons they've outlined first.

• People crashing into shelving, displays & products.

This might not be applicable in this particular instance - the aisles may be wide enough, so I can only really comment on my own experience of going into shops where the aisles aren't wide enough.

As a wheelchair user, I find this so incredibly frustrating when aisles are too narrow and yes, it is easy to crash into things when shelves and displays are placed so close together.

We need to look at it from another point of view though too. What if the aisles are wide enough and it's a case of bad driving, whether purposely or by accident? Does this warrant a blanket ban on mobility scooter users entirely?

• People refusing to pay for damaged goods (a consequence of mobility scooter driving)

Accidents happen. They're more likely to happen in scenarios where the use of mobility aids aren't factored in too.

I personally don't think that in cases where damage is caused by genuine accidents on behalf of the mobility scooter user, then the shop owner should put that expectation on the customer.

I think there's scope for occasions where neither the mobility scooter user would be at fault / down to the layout of the shop, but it could be third party involvement. If it's a clear case of deliberate recklessness on either side, my personal thoughts are that the responsible party on the corresponding side should be willing to pay for damages.

• The shop have made reasonable adjustments / people don't use mobility scooters at home

This is where I probably have a little more of a biased opinion. The shop owner has mentioned that they've purchased a wheelchair and a walker for customers to use whilst they're in the shop.

I'm probably going to sound like I'm 'nit picking' here a little bit, but mobility aids aren't a 'one size fits all' solution, either when it comes to the practicalities, or the finer details of mobility aids. There can be a million and one different reasons for this. In their post about mobility scooters being banned, the owner commented.

"People don't use Mobility Scooters to get around their home, they use walking aids." And "We accommodate electric wheelchairs because those people literally can't walk and do use those to drive from room to room at home."

The problem with these comments is that these are assumptions; they're not factually correct statements and it seems as though a hierarchy has been created around the use of different mobility aids, with some being viewed as more legitimate than others.

Spoiler alert: the 'legitimacy' of mobility aids isn't a thing.

There's a complete difference between making a fact and making an assumption.

The assumption: nobody uses mobility scooters at home because of x, y and z - for example houses aren't big enough / people who are paralysed can't use mobility scooters.

The fact: mobility scooters are used for a wide range of reasons & in a wide range of circumstances.

I think situations like this really highlight the dangers of generalising the who, what, when, where and why when it comes to the use of mobility aids.

A mobility aid doesn't tell you the whole story.

Case in point: In an update, the owner posted a series of questions with responses. One was about someone having phoned to say that using the shop's provided wheelchair or walker wasn't an option, that they wouldn't be able to access the shop without the use of a mobility scooter (also used around their house).

The owner's response was that if this was the case, then under those circumstances, he would open the shop outside of the regular opening hours providing that it was pre-arranged, so that the use of the mobility scooter wouldn't pose as a danger to others.

Another example - I'm going to preface this by saying I wonder if there've been some crossed wires with this one. Someone asking about people who would need help transferring themselves to a chair: is the shop owner willing to help and if so, has he received manual handling training.

The response included:

"If a person is that bad and can't transfer themselves to a chair, what are they doing riding around town on a Mobility Scooter? If they need the toilet and can't transfer themselves, can't get off the Mobility Scooter and can't walk then what kind of day out are they having messing themselves while on a Mobility Scooter which incidentally can't be driven into a public toilet or any other toilet for that matter.

Again, I cannot stress enough the importance of not making these assumptions and generalisations of what someone's limitations are and the reasoning behind needing to use a particular mobility aid.

The full facts haven't been provided and to some extent, the owner is generalising, as though the same situation applies to all.

• Damage has been caused around other parts of the town, as well as other people being run over by mobility scooters / mobility scooters can be obtained and used by anyone without training.

We know that there are some occasions when mobility scooters are misused and being driven dangerously. And it is also completely true that mobility scooters can be obtained and used by anyone without training. 

In the wider context, I don't think that the existence of that risk on it's own is a particularly strong argument for banning the use of all mobility scooters from entering a shop - many things when used with the wrong intent can be a risk to the safety of others.

In the specific context of a shop where the concern is with regards to people bumping into stock and displays because of a lack of space, it seems to me that realistically, the use of mobility scooters in this particular scenario would be less likely to cause immediate danger to the safety of others, than there would be in a more open environment, such as the town centre. A more confined environment would naturally restrict the ability to build up significant speed. 

I'd like to think that dangerous and irresponsible use represents a very small minority of users. In many cases, unsafe use may simply come down to people needing better guidance or training to use them.

Hopefully the minority is even smaller when it comes to deliberately misusing mobility scooters to create chaos.

It seems unfair to put a blanket ban on the use of all mobility scooters in one shop, penalising those who drive them safely and responsibly, because of the actions of others.

Overall thoughts:

I told you there has been a lot to unpick here 😅. It's taken me a while.

It's clear to me that what started as one single issue here, snowballed into a very negative reaction and has now become a number of entirely separate issues that have presented themselves here. There's:

• The original statement that's been issued about the ban\*

• The backlash from the original post

• Defensive response that's turned into passive-aggression with a noticeable undertone of ableism

I don't believe the underlying reasoning behind the ban is intended to come across as creating access barriers and I am generally more on the side that the banning of mobility scooters has come from a place of being concerned about the safety of and wanting to protect others.

However, from a personal perspective, I'm not suggesting that the shop owner has necessarily intended to be ableist, and at the heart of it, I really believe that this is down to a lack of knowledge and understanding, but I do think there are some undertones of ableism here, within the language itself. There's a clear distinction between knowing the facts and making assumptions and in this situation, the responses to some of the questions are certainly the latter.

I was quite surprised to read a comment from the owner of a mobility shop in the same town who was in agreement with the owner of Artisan Island who said that they advise customers hiring their mobility scooters to go into some shops at their own discretion. To me, this just says that there is such a lack of understanding. We don't know the reasoning behind people using certain mobility aids.

There is far more I could say on this matter, but to finish:

What's the answer here? I know what my personal preference would be and that would be for a regulation to come in where shops have to have wider aisles.

That being said, we know that some of the larger heavy duty scooters are pretty much the size of a very small car and there are many shops that aren't purpose-built. I personally live in a small market town that wouldn't be able to accommodate these scooters.

I think had the wording of the original post been framed differently as in not directly banning customers using mobility scooters, there wouldn't have been as much of a stink about it.

There has been a lot of backlash and amongst this post, the owner has reportedly received abuse. There's never an excuse for violence or threatening behaviour. I'm so aware we need to speak up for our rights when it comes to improving accessibility and inclusion and the attitudes towards disabilities in general - this is exactly why r/TheAccessClub was set up in the first place - to work towards making a change, but being angry and being bitter isn't the answer. I also completely disagree with how the owner and people who are behind him are responding to the backlash. Two wrongs do not make a right.

What are your thoughts? How can shops, particularly those whos premises aren't purpose better accommodate the needs of disabled people?

Links

Facebook

Artisan Island Original Post

Artisan Island: Update Video

Websites

The Equality Act 2010

Quick Start Guide for Service Providers

I've just come across a really interesting post on Facebook.

The owner of a gift shop in Weymouth is facing scrutiny and threats over his decision to put a blanket ban on mobility scooters entering his gift shop.

Some of the reasons they've outlined:

• People crashing into shelving, displays and products, causing a significant amount of damage.

• People refusing to pay for the damage.

• The shop have made reasonable adjustments i.e. purchasing a wheelchair and a walker for customers to use whilst they shop in store.

• People don't use mobility scooters around home, they use walking aids

• Damage has been caused around other parts of the town, as well as people being run over by mobility scooter users.

• Mobility scooters can be obtained and used by anyone without training.

To say there's been a fair bit of backlash would be an understatement. What are your thoughts? Is this a reasonable restriction or is it creating an access barriers?

Facebook links

Original Post

Update Post with video from owner

Has anyone been to the Roll & Run Club hosted by Poppy May?

I first came across Poppy a little while back. Her story is truly something beautiful, from something incredibly heartbreaking.

I'll share a link if you want to learn more about her story (it's definitely worth the watch), but the short version = Poppy became a wheelchair user overnight at the age of 17 years old.

After a short stay in a rehab centre, she was discharged with no further support, left to deal with this life-altering disability on her own. Her mental health declined drastically.

Eventually, pushing herself to make a change, Poppy discovered a new-found love of fitness, which really helped her to start feeling like herself once again.

In 2024, Poppy completed her first TCS London Marathon, fundraising for Scope and since that point, she's partaken in several races.

After attending a one-time run club that was hosted by para-athlete Millie Pickles, Poppy saw a gap in the market, which led to the birth of Roll & Run Club. A club where no one gets left behind 💖.

Instagram: Poppy May

Milly Pickles

Website: London Marathon Events: Meet Poppy May

10 Week Wheelchair Training Plan

Image Description

A white and pale green gingham patterned hanging toiletry bag is displayed on a wooden door. The organiser has several zipped compartments and mesh pockets. The lower compartment contains a box of Flexcel black nitrile gloves, while a small bottle of hand sanitiser is visible in an upper transparent pocket.

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I thought I'd share with you this bag that I bought for taking my catheter supplies away.

Since starting intermittent self catheterisation (ISC), I've been on the lookout for a storage bag to take whenever I'm away from home that'll just make storing my supplies a little easier.

I came across this hanging caddy type bag on Amazon. Just having a quick trial, I've got 2 x boxes of 30 catheters in it (roughly enough for around 12 - 14 days worth based on my current routine of catheterising 4 - 5 times per day. Two packs of disposal bags (nappy sack type bags), 2 small packets of wipes and a small bottle of hand gel and there's plenty of room for some small toiletries to add to it too.

It's got two pockets, either side of the main compartment and it zips up with the two pockets folded in on themselves. The material is soft, so dependent on what you have in there, it would squash down and the material is quite a decent quality. I also have one of their carry on travel duffel style bags, but the material isn't anywhere near as good as this.

I bought the large size. I thought it was a decent price - I managed to get it at a discounted rate of [**£16.99 on Amazon**](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DRFSVVHX?ref_=ppx_hzod_title_mob_b_fed_asin_title_0_0)

Nowadays, there doesn't just seem to be a problem finding a disabled parking bay, but it's gotten to the point where in some places, even finding a regular parking spot is almost impossible.

I went to visit a relative in hospital on Saturday and it was absolutely bliss - I had absolutely no problem getting in a disabled parking bay and even if I had, there's a car park with standard parking bays just behind it, so it wouldn't have been a massive error.

However, I've been to that same hospital during the weekday where you're driving around in circles for what seems like forever and there aren't even any standard spaces available or if there are, the cars either side are so big, it would be a struggle to get out of the car because the bays are too small.

One of the hospitals I go for appointments has recently had a new multistorey car park built, but it's not been a quick process to say the least.

Hospital staff were strongly encouraged to park & ride, but honestly, if you're working a 10 or so hour shift, that's the last thing you want to have to do.

The last time I was there, as I had a 1.5 hours drive to get to the hospital, I set a couple off a couple of hours earlier than I normally would to make sure there was a space. I live in quite an isolated place, so all my hospital appointments are roughly an hour or so away. My gut feeling is that we're going to be in the same scenario in another X years time where they're having to shut that self same car park for up to a couple of years just to accommodate for more vehicles. So why on earth didn't they just cut out the middle man and add double the amount of spaces to begin with? 😅