Making use of disabled facilities

I've been training in the City (of London) today - so central that I was just a few yards from the base of The Monument to the great fire of 1666. For such venues, I don't even attempt to get my clients to provide a parking space; usually they have none available and it becomes a nightmare to unload and to park - the London taxi works well - a cheerful cabbie from a hotel (WITH parking) on the edge of the congestion zone and I end up on the pavement in front of the customer's office, all the stuff I need on my trolley, and raring to go.

"Thank goodness for disabled lifts" I thought to myself as I saw a flight of magnificent stairs up to one of those rotating doors, but with a slide slope up to a lift just around the corner. Up the slope I went, pressed the button by the lift gate and it popped open, and onto the platform I went. Pressed the "up" button.

Nothing.

Pressed the button again.

Nothing.

Tried to open the gate.

Locked behind me.

Ah. Right. Pressed the down button. Pressed the brightly coloured button with a picture of a bell on it.

Nothing

Hmm. Now - I COULD leave the trolley on the platform and climb over the gate. I could see if I've got a stick or something long enough to reach the release button I used to get onto the lift ...

I do make use of ramps, lifts, hotel rooms that are primarily provided for the disabled - they're a huge help, and why shouldn't a resource if it's otherwise not being employed be of such use? The hotel chain I use the most has even told me that their disabled rooms are usually the last to go, and is usually happy to provide one - although I do qualify my booking by telling them to move me if they need to.

Alas, the office block in the City doesn't take the same view. After a few minutes, a "jobsworth" appeared, told me how fortunate I was that he had spotted me on the security camera, and went off to get the release key. When I told him that most offices were very happy for me to use the disabled lift to get in, he told me that "we're not most offices", but he wasn't able to tell me how I could have known that ahead of time, on the pavement at the base of the steps. He was also at a loss to tell me how a person in a wheelchair would have faired any better - indeed such a seated person might have been stranded for much longer, hidden inconspicuously behind the waist-high gates on the platform.

I recall writing a "Horse's Mouth" a long time ago concerning the disabled ramps in Leeds and their lack of fitness for purpose. And I know they weren't unique. But I'm afraid that this Monument Street office takes the biscuit. Yet every cloud has a silver lining; as we plan Well House Manor, we're doing our best to provide good disabled access and avoid such pitfalls; I welcome the education that 10 minutes on the platform and the janitor's attitude has given me and promise to try to do better.
(written 2006-03-22, updated 2006-06-05)

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