Hi readers, Emily, Kerry and William, catching up about access – the good, the bad and the ugly!
It’s something that’s important to us, making sure everyone has good access to their town. Last year we helped campaign about the possible closure of Dorchester’s ticket office, which helps many people access train services more easily.
Did you know that the Accessible Information Standard, and the Equality Act 2010, mean that reasonable adjustments should be made, including people with a disability? This does happen more in some areas, like Easy Read information on Annual Health Checks, or lifts being put into new developments – good unless they are cheap ones which break down. If any developers are reading, please take time and care when choosing lifts and get it right first time! Other new access issues though are creeping in, and ‘disabling’ people.
One example is venues which only take credit or debit card payments, not cash. Many of these places say it is too difficult to handle cash anymore, but there are not offering any alternatives! We know people who have gone into a local hotel chain, or one of several cafes in Dorchester (we probably can’t name them here), ordered their coffee. chosen their cake or sandwich, then when they have gone to hand over their £20 note, have been told that this is not accepted.
It can be embarrassing for the person unable to pay, as well as difficult for the staff working there, to have to turn people away.
But why are there not more inclusive options like buying a £20 card (even a paper one) to use in that venue? So, in a café you use it to pay for coffee and top it up (with cash) when it gets low? Does anyone else agree?
The writers of the Our View column are supported in their editing by People First Dorset - a charity led and run by people with learning disabilities with support from staff
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