It's WOMAD weekend. WOMAD is a high point of my year and despite last year's horrors, I'm hugely looking forward to going. I hope the weather holds up. The idea of pushing around in the mud does not appeal.
But I'm worried. After the exhaustion of trying to get across the uneven ground, and the distance from the car park to the stages, I'm not keen to take my manual chair. My cycle chair is being serviced so I'd like to hire an electric scooter. Last year, you could just take one out if you'd pre-booked. This year, you have to pre-book and pay an exorbitant £18 a day on top of the £122 ticket price. I'm shocked, because despite WOMAD's reputation for and appearance of inclusivity, this policy means I cannot hire an electric wheelchair. So unless I can find someone willing to push me all day (and pushing me across grass is pretty dangerous because of my poor balance), I'm not going to go.
I've therefore sent the following to WOMAD. I'm curious to see how they'll respond:
Dear H
Thank you for the information about scooters. I've checked the details on the site link you supplied and see that it costs £18 a day to hire the electric versions.
I've been coming to WOMAD for over 20 years. Last year was my first as a wheelchair user since an accident in 2006. I had been unable to get a response from the scooter hire company that WOMAD used and was forced to push in my manual chair. As a high level paraplegic (I have no movement or function below my arms), I found it extremely hard work to get around the site. Being pushed is dangerous for me. I have very poor balance and if I hit a hole or stone too fast, I will come out of my chair. It's impossible for me to get back in without considerable help. I stayed at the festival for a couple of hours before exhaustion forced me home. An electric scooter would mean that I could get around easily.
I understand that ground conditions are beyond your control and that it is not realistic to have tracked walkways throughout the site. However, I find it shocking that you expect everyone with disabilities to contribute an additional £54 on top of the ticket price if they need to hire an electric scooter for the full three days of the festival. Of course, there are many people with disabilities and it would be uneconomical to offer free scooters. However, I note that you ask those who wish to buy a disabled ticket to provide evidence, such as a letter of award for the Disability Living Allowance at high rate (mobility component). Would it be unreasonable to offer free electric scooters, if requested, to those who can provide such evidence?
As you might know, DLA at the highest rate for mobility is given to those who, to quote the DLA claim form,
- cannot walk at all
- can only walk a short way without being in severe discomfort, or
- could become very ill if (they) try to walk
Under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act, you have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled people can use your services. Under the DDA, it is unlawful for service providers to treat disabled people less favourably than other people for a reason related to their disability.
I believe you are discriminating against people with additional mobility requirements by forcing them to pay a steep fee for a scooter. To ask for those with such needs to pay almost 50% of the ticket price on top of the £122 cost will exclude those who might wish to come but cannot afford this extra cost. People with the highest level of mobility allowance, such as myself, will often be unable to work full time. Coming to WOMAD is an expensive and wonderful treat but not if I can't get around the site. Your approach to the hire of wheelchairs and scooters does not seem to sit with what I perceive to be WOMAD's usual inclusiveness.
It's obviously too late to do anything about it now. However, I will be interested to hear your response to my complaint and what action you intend to take.
Yours
