I Promised Myself that I Wouldn't
I promised myself that I wouldn't blog about this.
Don't go there, I thought, it's not fair, you haven't got an answer, so keep your big mouth shut.
But oh look, after thinking about it all day, now I am.
When we were at the pantomime in Bradford last night (excellent, get yourself to see if it you can, you've got till Sunday) we were sitting in the Stalls, fairly far back and they were really good seats.
However, the Alhambra doesn't have a centre aisle so each row of seats is very long. We were near the far end, and when we went round to take our seats the way into our row was blocked by a woman in a wheelchair.
"You'll have to go right round," said the usher.
Going right round and then squeezing right along the row would have taken forever, as there were lots of people still trying to take their seats. So I smiled sweetly, ignored him and we all said "excuse me" and squeezed past the wheelchair into our seats (including my mother, who may be very fit, but she's still 84, even though she doesn't look it, and she's tiny, and I didn't think she would enjoy doing the squeezing through all the people and then along the row).
They were a party of wheelchair users - adults with learning difficulties. The wheelchairs had been positioned right at the end of every row for about six rows.
Of course the Alhambra was built in the nineteenth century, with no thought of wheelchair users and no provision for them.
A child started crying in the row in front of us at one point and the mother decided to take the child out. She was sitting about three-quarters of the way along the row, near the wheelchair-users' end, and made her way to the end with the baby, before realising that there was no way she could get out of the row, so she made her way back to her seat, with the child still crying.
The people who were with the wheelchair users didn't make any kind of move to get the wheelchair out of the way: I felt that their attitude was "These are wheelchair users and they take priority."
In the interval, again we had to squeeze past the wheelchairs to get out, and then again to get back - - including my mother, who is, luckily, remarkably agile. If we'd tried to go along the row it would have taken till the end of the interval because the row was full and everyone had lots of coats and programmes and all sorts in the way.
And then I found myself thinking: what if there was a fire during the performance?
Nobody sitting in our half of the row, and in the other rows that were blocked at the ends with wheelchairs, would have been able to get out at all: certainly not with any speed. One wheelchair would have been fine - it was the fact that there were so many of them. In the event of a fire, if they'd tried to get the wheelchairs through the fire exits first - because the wheelchairs were in between the rest of the audience and the fire exits - it would have been too late for the rest of us.
If there had been a fire, I'm certain that a large number of people from those rows would have been burned to a crisp, and then there would, in the fullness of time, have been an enquiry into the Bradford Alhambra Conflagration, and eventually it would have concluded that the escape routes were blocked by wheelchairs, because there was nowhere else to put the wheelchairs during the performance.
I have been at many events where people haven't been allowed to sit in the aisles etc because of this very danger. But where were Health and Safety here?
One wheelchair would have been fine - it was the fact that there were so many of them. In the event of a fire, if they'd tried to get the wheelchairs through the fire exits first - because they were the nearest to them - it would have have taken a long time to do.
Perhaps the only proper answer would be for the theatre to remove some seats permanently on either the back row or the front row, but I don't know how feasible that would be.
Until they have sorted this out - and I think they should, if at all possible - I think that the theatre should be able to say that there is only room for one wheelchair. I don't know if they can't say that legally, because of disability legislation, or if they just don't want to because they feel it puts them in a bad light.
My feeling is that national headlines along the lines of Two Hundred Dead - Escape Routes Blocked in Bradford Alhambra Conflagration would put the the theatre management in a rather worse light.
Don't go there, I thought, it's not fair, you haven't got an answer, so keep your big mouth shut.
But oh look, after thinking about it all day, now I am.
When we were at the pantomime in Bradford last night (excellent, get yourself to see if it you can, you've got till Sunday) we were sitting in the Stalls, fairly far back and they were really good seats.
However, the Alhambra doesn't have a centre aisle so each row of seats is very long. We were near the far end, and when we went round to take our seats the way into our row was blocked by a woman in a wheelchair.
"You'll have to go right round," said the usher.
Going right round and then squeezing right along the row would have taken forever, as there were lots of people still trying to take their seats. So I smiled sweetly, ignored him and we all said "excuse me" and squeezed past the wheelchair into our seats (including my mother, who may be very fit, but she's still 84, even though she doesn't look it, and she's tiny, and I didn't think she would enjoy doing the squeezing through all the people and then along the row).
They were a party of wheelchair users - adults with learning difficulties. The wheelchairs had been positioned right at the end of every row for about six rows.
Of course the Alhambra was built in the nineteenth century, with no thought of wheelchair users and no provision for them.
A child started crying in the row in front of us at one point and the mother decided to take the child out. She was sitting about three-quarters of the way along the row, near the wheelchair-users' end, and made her way to the end with the baby, before realising that there was no way she could get out of the row, so she made her way back to her seat, with the child still crying.
The people who were with the wheelchair users didn't make any kind of move to get the wheelchair out of the way: I felt that their attitude was "These are wheelchair users and they take priority."
In the interval, again we had to squeeze past the wheelchairs to get out, and then again to get back - - including my mother, who is, luckily, remarkably agile. If we'd tried to go along the row it would have taken till the end of the interval because the row was full and everyone had lots of coats and programmes and all sorts in the way.
And then I found myself thinking: what if there was a fire during the performance?
Nobody sitting in our half of the row, and in the other rows that were blocked at the ends with wheelchairs, would have been able to get out at all: certainly not with any speed. One wheelchair would have been fine - it was the fact that there were so many of them. In the event of a fire, if they'd tried to get the wheelchairs through the fire exits first - because the wheelchairs were in between the rest of the audience and the fire exits - it would have been too late for the rest of us.
If there had been a fire, I'm certain that a large number of people from those rows would have been burned to a crisp, and then there would, in the fullness of time, have been an enquiry into the Bradford Alhambra Conflagration, and eventually it would have concluded that the escape routes were blocked by wheelchairs, because there was nowhere else to put the wheelchairs during the performance.
I have been at many events where people haven't been allowed to sit in the aisles etc because of this very danger. But where were Health and Safety here?
One wheelchair would have been fine - it was the fact that there were so many of them. In the event of a fire, if they'd tried to get the wheelchairs through the fire exits first - because they were the nearest to them - it would have have taken a long time to do.
Perhaps the only proper answer would be for the theatre to remove some seats permanently on either the back row or the front row, but I don't know how feasible that would be.
Until they have sorted this out - and I think they should, if at all possible - I think that the theatre should be able to say that there is only room for one wheelchair. I don't know if they can't say that legally, because of disability legislation, or if they just don't want to because they feel it puts them in a bad light.
My feeling is that national headlines along the lines of Two Hundred Dead - Escape Routes Blocked in Bradford Alhambra Conflagration would put the the theatre management in a rather worse light.
posted by Daphne at 5:50 pm
6 Comments:
Disablist!
(Only kidding... I know you have often worked with disabled people. Your complaint should be addressed to the management of The Alhambra with a copy to the Chief Fire Officer. Go on! Whip it up! I dare you! In fact I double dare you!)....Now where's me wheelchair?
I also don't have a good answer except that I think some theatres can indeed take out rows of seats to accommodate rows of wheelchairs. Often these are the front rows of the stalls so in fact the wheelchair users have effectively the best seats in the house.
Of course the 19th century Alhambra may well not have this capability although I would think under 2005 legislation they should have had to make the 'reasonable adjustments' necessary. It doesn't sound like putting several wheelchair users at the end of several rows of seats constitutes adequate reasonable adjustments. Especially in the event of fire.
PS I'm glad the show was excellent and I'm glad there wasn't a fire
As you say, Daphne, it doesn't seem like a very safe arrangement, quite apart from the inconvenience to other people around. I am surprised, actually, as I seem to remember that at the Empire in Liverpool, which is quite big, they would only allow 2 wheelchairs,
If's not often we hear about wheelchair users CAUSING a problem.
Assuming the theatre has made provisions (ramps etc) to allow wheelchair users to get inside, then it has a responsibility to ensure they enjoy as good a view as everyone else but also that they don't inconvenience anyone else.
Sticking several of them at the end of rows is not acceptable as people do need to leave during a performance for various reasons. No matter where they are located (along the front row or wherever), sadly they will always be 'in the way' in the event of a fire.
I wonder how a recently built theatre has overcome this issue as I'm sure all older ones are tragic accidents waiting to happen.
Me being not particulary politically correct, and in a foul menopausal moment, shall keep my comment to myself here! I'm thinking it really loud though so you might get it after all!
I am on a crash-course to learn how to run a listed building (Grade I, don'tcha know)ans we are exempt from having to have disability access because of the historical nature of the place. I would bet that the theatre IS allowed to put a limit on wheelchairs, they just don't think it's PC. Healthy & Safety gives me nightmares these days...
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