Fleaflyfloflum

Of course I didnt Australians. I just happen to use a mobility scooter to do my shopping for gods sake!!!

I never ever thought I would be in the position to find out how Australians treat their disabled bretheren. A year ago I was doing the cliff walks between Coogee and Bondi, but here I am temporarily forced to use one to do my shopping until my lungs improve from the pnuemonia.

Having just returned from UK where I did the same there I will give you an example of the differences in the community.

UK:

Generally very positive (ok the odd teenager would get a kick out of laughing at me) but most people were great.

One guy offered to get something off the top shelf for me and then offered to race me with his trolley to the end of the aisle...pmsl

People would look me in the eye, smile, some even have a chat and almost always would make way for me to negotiate corners or trolleys in my way.

At checkouts the staff would come round and pack my stuff into the basket for me (even though i didnt need it, i didnt say as they obviously wanted to help)

All facilities were accessible in the scooter with wide aisles, wide doors and generally made life easy.


Australia:

When I approached the customer service desk and asked the young assistant for the key to their scooter, her facial expression changed to one of panic, embarrassment and body language denoted intense discomfort!! She fumbled for they key, ran quickly to the machine and dangled they key in my face whilst looking in the other direction avoiding my gaze. She then ran back around the counter.
Hello??? Had i just peed on the floor or something?

Oh well, off i scooted...

2/3 of the shops were inaccessable to me. Aisles too narrow to scoot up without knocking over the masses of products spilling out all over the place.

The public toilets were a nightmare. Even though they had disabled toilets in them, the corridor and doors were too narrow to get in with the scooter!! Thank god i am able to walk short distances otherwise i WOULD have peed my pants

The general public on the whole, seemed embarrassed by me. Most would see me coming and avert their eyes and pretend I didnt exist. Small children (as everywhere) were intrigued and stared, but the parents would grab them out of my way and trot off as if i was about to steal their kids or something..lol gawwwd what a sorry state of affairs this is

One or two shop staff have been good, both older people though. In general they pretend i dont exist. One day last week I decided to to go the food hall for lunch and have some noodles. I placed myself in the queue alongside all the others. I was ignored and bypassed by 3 customers from behind me until an Irish girl noticed and asked if i was waiting to be served. I said yes but no one has noticed so she told the server to do me next.

This has been such a horrible experience for me that I have decided i am not going to the mall unless i have OH with me in future. Its too much hassle and embarrassment.

I only hope I wont have to use the damn things much longer and can get back to being treated as a "normal" person

goldchoccycoin

Spare a thought for those permanently in a wheelchair. My boyfreind is in a wheelchair and the access issue is the worst. I have to say, people are usually freindly, helpful and completely normal 99% of the time though. I would say the way you were treated seems unusual to me - been with him for 5 years and not experienced people pushing in or being embarassed etc. (maybe it's different in Sydney to Brisbane?!)

Narrow shopping aisles are the biggest issue. And lack of parking spaces. And items on top shelves.

I also felt that the UK was similar in attitude (i.e. pretty good) but the access was better (wider aisles, more footpaths) but even higher shelves! Also, getting in my Mum's front door was fun - as was having no downstairs toilet! Ah, the joys! he also nearly froze to death but that's a different issue!

Hope your lungs get better soon!

Fleaflyfloflum

Yeah maybe different attitudes in smaller cities and i am comparing it to the treatment i got in a smaller community in UK, but your boyfriend has my sympathy having to negotiate the malls here.

I have never been in this kind of situation before and it has really opened my eyes as to how our disabled friends are treated and catered for.

Unlike your boyfriend, i was really shocked at the differences in how i was treated. Normally when i go shopping, I am the type of person who stops for a chat with people and generally has a good rapport with strangers. I felt very out of my depth beng dismissed and ignored.

I accept the average house in UK would not be wheelchair friendly, but I do know that all disabled peoples homes are adapted for them as far as i know.

goldchoccycoin

Who knows why people treat anyone who is slightly 'different' strangely! We knew trying to get into and around a semi-detached house in the UK would be fun - and it was! Same as visiting friends who live in 'Queenslanders' here! Luckily he's quite light and can bum up stairs pretty well! I have to say I'm stronger than I ever was before!

My boyfriend says he is ocassionally 'looked past' and he seems to think it's because he's not at eye level - he doesn't think it's deliberate - just lack of awareness (and considering how some people have zero spatial awareness anyway - how many times do people block the whole aisle in shops with their trolly, kids etc and are oblivious to people trying to get past! - I'm not surprised).

Hope you and your hubby are on the mend. Try and have fun with the mobility scooter and don't let people stop you going out to the mall etc. Just beep the horn and smile!

Fleaflyfloflum

Oh my goodness yes!! the lack of spacial awareness is horrendous. I find people walking right in front of me as i am moving and i have to slam the brakes on all the time.
Hell, i never noticed the horn. Oh dear... should not have told me that!!
I am going to have fun with that I do admit i enjoy darting about on it.

Thanks for your post

quoll

Interesting post, Flea! First sorry to hear about your Aussie experience though,that must have been really uncomfortable. I became acutely aware of disability access when I was in UK with my 85 year old tottery mum who needs a mobility scooter most of the time and I had some excellent and positive interactions with ths shopmobility people. I was so impressed by the scheme that I made a submission to our chief minister here to investigate a shopmobility scheme (he is in the process of being re-elected so is even more hopeless than usual). Since then I can safely say that I have not seen ONE mobility scooter on any of my forays into our local malls - not one! What the hell do people with disabilities do??? I have seen maybe a couple of people in wheelchairs but one was at our local shops.

Shocking!

Petals

Where was this? you certainly cannot avoid scooters where I live there are so many people with them these days scooting around the shopping centres and down the road. In fact where Mum lives they are talking about having scooter etiquette lessons as they are a danger to pedestrians and the older people with walkers. Some of the older men think they are racing drivers on them

I am surprised that people did not assist you we never have a problem when I take my Mum out and she has a walker and she is very slow, I expect I would be at 90 too. She finds people are very helpful and nice to her.

Lorna at Vicenza

A bit of scooter road rage sounds like fun ..... dashing around, peeping the horn and screaming "outta the way". That would certainly make people aware of you!

On a more serious note I do understand how many people can be made to feel uncomfortable and am doing my best to explain things to my kids as just dragging them away and telling them not to stare doesn't help them at all. On a recent trip to a petting zoo there was a group of disabled kids all in wheelchairs on a day trip out with their care workers. Obviously my kids stared and asked what was wrong. I tried to explain in kiddie terms that most of them probably had legs that didn't work properly but that they could still hear and talk and understand and learn about the animals. Next came the "why" question so I had to follow up by saying that maybe some of them were born that way or maybe some of them had been in an accident. Once my kids were satisfied with the baby answers they got they waved at the other kids, picked up a teddy that one of them had dropped and went off to get an ice-cream. I'm not saying all this to make me seem better or more aware than others but I do know that it makes a difference as one of the care workers came to me and said "thanks for not ignoring us and for explaining".

Now when my kids see somebody in a wheelchair they don't stare but just say something like "I think that lady has got poorly legs."

It might not be the best way of teaching them but they are still very young and it is better than dragging them off and turning disbaled people into curiosities.

Hope you are back to full health soon.

quoll

I must admit that I have seen more mobility scooters in Ballarat than anywhere else - I notice you are in Vic. My MIL lives in a nursing home where there is a little old lady who spends her day doing "laps" - wrapped up and with scarf flying she looks just like an elderly Biggles on her scooter. Canberra - never see them. We do occasionally see "community participation"
with kids with disabilities I suppose.

maka paka

I think you should get one of those "If you don't love it leave" stickers for your scooter.

Oh ,and a jousting stick to manoeuvre those cheeky so and so's out of your way!!

No mercy!!!

Petals

Now with petrol being so dear perhaps they will be the new mode of transport for lots of people.

We were in the car and I saw a chap on one and he was travelling from one small country town to another along the bike path.

I have also noticed that a lot of people on them around here look as though they don't really need them, the drive up to the supermarket park the scooter and walk inside

Fleaflyfloflum

Good for you Lorna education is the key and this episode in my life has certainly changed my understandng of what it would be like to be disabled permanently.

Fleaflyfloflum

No.. i reckon mine should read... "i dont love it, I AM leaving, as soon as i am shot of this thing"

Fleaflyfloflum

Please bare in mind that just because a person can walk a short distance doesnt mean they dont need one. I can certainly walk 50yds or so with starting to huff and puff but after that i am struggling somewhat.
Just because you cant see a disability doesnt mean there isnt one.

I managed to fly back from London 2 weeks ago. I had excellent wheelchair help at every stop, but i did have to do a small amount of walkin here and there.

maka paka

well I hope you registered with the RACQ in case you get a flat half way down the spice isle....can you imagine the carnage!!!