Freedom of City award winner criticises disability access
www.bbc.com
Anna Landre got an award for her disability work but was denied the chance to accept it on stage.
    • nocturne@sopuli.xyz
      4·
      4 months ago

      A woman who was given the Freedom of the City of London for her disability campaigning says it is “absurd” she was unable to collect the award on stage due to not being offered an accessible ramp.

    • anytimesoon@feddit.uk
      52·
      4 months ago

      Not as ludicrous as it sounds.

      Before I continue, I just want to state that what I’m about to say doesn’t excuse what happened. I’m merely trying to give a reason why the ramp may not have been used.

      Health and safety regulations specify how steep an access ramp can be. Depending on the height of the stage, this might mean the ramp needs to be very long. Having a ramp around that was/is used for something else doesn’t mean it was necessarily suitable for this use case.

      I organised events for over decade up until covid, and the ramp requirement was always a question on my checklist for this exact reason. The blame here almost certainly lies entirely at the feet of the organisers, not the poor sods on the front line who were (probably) provided inadequate equipment.

      That’s my take anyway

      • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
        5·
        4 months ago

        Your take is well reasoned and kind, but there is a picture of the stage in the article. It’s roughly 2 ft high. There are two very short steps to mount it.

        I cant think of a single ramp that would be available as a “ramp” that would not work in this circumstance. A standard 5x5 ft sheet of plywood would have been more than enough to have a very gentle grade to this particular stage.

        • anytimesoon@feddit.uk
          2·
          4 months ago

          Haha, true. Guess I should have at least clicked the link!

          Simply can’t understand why they wouldn’t use the ramp they apparently had available then