The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 made it unlawful to discriminate against people living with disabilities. 30 years on we have made great strides, but we are still not quite there.
As somebody who regularly pushes a wheelchair, I have come to be a bit of an expert on just how inaccessible some “accessible” toilets are. We visited somewhere and the accessible loo was at the top of a steep slope and the outward opening door was almost impossible to open. Thankfully, there was a very helpful man sitting on a bench who came to our aid. I don’t know how a single person in a wheelchair would have ever got in.
We visited a seaside resort and were faced with this somewhat impressive entrance to the accessible toilets. Unfortunately, even though the door was wide enough and the facilities good, the pavement was narrowed by this impressive hoarding to such a degree that the wheelchair only just fit through. However, as you can see, cars parked quite legitimately overhung the pavement and there was no dropped kerb. Once again, we were assisted by a benevolent motorist who backed up granting us access.
There is a saying “before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes”. I don’t know so much about judging, but during my lifetime I have spent time with people who are visibly impaired, those with hearing loss, those who use a variety of different walking aids, wheelchairs, or mobility scooters and those who feel anxious in large groups. It is perhaps easy to think that we have done all that we can. The real experts are those who have to live with our decisions.