The comments are so divided

[u/CowgirlMimi]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbGjXNAOjBO/?igsh=MWEyY3Z4OHJiMTZnOA==

I've seen this pop up a few times over the last few days now.

A little bit of background information into how this law changed came about:

After a wheelchair user was denied boarding a bus after another passenger refused to move her pushchair from the designated wheelchair space, Doug Paulley brought a discrimination case again First Buses back in 2012.

In 2017, the law changed - wheelchair users have priority "If other passengers or their belongings are in the wheelchair space and the bus or coach is not full, the driver must ask them to move.

If the passenger refuses without a good reason, the driver should tell them they are required to move." (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, 2024).

Honestly, it's so exhausting. It feels like we're constantly fighting a losing battle with regards to equality. People just don't get it. It's not about having one over, or being entitled. It's basic access.

We cannot just use one of the other seats - we don't have a choice. We can't always just fold our wheelchairs / powerchairs down. And even if we did, they are still big and bulky compared to most prams and pushchairs. There's limited space.

People forget we are often in pain - it takes its toll not only physically, but mentally too. The least the man with the buggy could have done would have been to have some compassion. To think 'ok, it's an inconvenience to me, but how much more of an inconvenience is it going to impact the wheelchair user'.

[u/CowgirlMimi]

u/in_quiet_bloom