AccessibleConsulting

Question

Jeremy Rowe from London asked me last week whilst in Barcelona:

"Why do adapted hotel rooms always have foot operated pedal bins?"

Answers in comments please!

Antonia Font is a group from Majorca that have been around for a few years now. I’m not even going to pretend to be a music critic as that’s not my job but they’re one of those bands that you don’t really need to understand the lyrics in order to enjoy the music. This in itself is a great relief as they sing in Majorcan which is similar to Catalan. They play a variety of different styles and have both serious and silly lyrics including a song about a family of sharks that eat fishermen.

L’Auditori is opposite the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya near Plaça de les Glòries, Barcelona. Getting to l’Auditori isn’t really a problem from the centre of Barcelona, there’s the L1 metro (Red line) which can be caught from Plaça Universitat to Marina. Both metro stations are adapted with lifts for wheelchair users and there is ramped access to the train, however, there is still a slight step to negotiate before boarding. The main problem with the L1 metro is that although some of the stations are adapted the trains themselves are old and there isn’t a reserved space for wheelchair users. I went to see Antonia Font with some friends one of which is also a wheelchair user and we really got in the way of other people on the train when they were trying to get on or off. There is also the L2 metro (Purple line) which stops at Monumental which is also adapted but it is further away from l’Auditori.

There are also adapted buses and the tram which pass by l’Auditori, please see the TMB website for further information. (There’s a link at the bottom of this article) The biggest problem with public transport and this venue is at the end of the evening during week days when the metro closes at midnight and there are only the night buses. The only real option is to catch a taxi which are few and far between in this neighbourhood and then some of them won’t stop and pick up wheelchair users. Don’t fret at some stage I’ll write a complete blog on taxi drivers and wheelchairs users!

At the moment outside the building there is a temporary bar as they are doing some refurbishment work. The bar is accessible with a ramp to enter and there is also a temporary disabled toilet. So from the outset it looked as though the management of l’Auditori have been thinking about disabled people.

When inside the picture changes slightly and once again wheelchair users become second class citizens. The “Disabled Seating Area” is nothing more than the upper entrance to the last row of seats in the auditorium. In most theatres and auditoriums they at least make an effort to take out a seat and have a full space for a wheelchair. With both myself and my friend in wheelchairs at the top of a flight of stairs it made the passage considerably narrower for other people to pass. It was also quite dangerous for our able bodied counterparts because of the dim lighting it would be easy not to see a wheelchair and trip over it.

The view from the last row in l’Auditori is good even if everyone on the stage look like ants because you’re so far away. There is always the problem in theatres, auditoriums and cinemas of where to seat wheelchair users and we always seem to get the worst deal. It doesn’t just effect us either, it also effects our partners, friends and family that want to enjoy the show with us. We don’t have a choice that we are in wheelchairs and we don’t have a choice as to where we can sit and for some reason the management, planning department or architects or whoever seem to think that the best place for us is at the back. Maybe it’s like the Second World War hospitals in the United Kingdom which had a philosophy along the lines of “out of sight out of mind”.

As I only saw three other wheelchair users I can only imagine that the reason not to do this is because either the organisers of Primavera Sound haven't thought of it, don't care or it's just not economically viable. If they haven't thought of it, then listen up guys, we need an accessible viewing platform and if they don't care then I think we have a problem and we need to make them care. If the third reason is the excuse (which it normally is) , then they need to work out how to compensate disabled people for not being able to see 70% of what they would like. I'm not a fan of giving discounts to disabled people just because they're disabled but in this case I believe it would be justified.

On a positive note the Auditori Stage which is an indoor venue at the festival was very accessible. The stewards at the entrance of the building were helpful in pointing out where the lifts are. When I eventually found the correct door to enter the Auditori I was swiftly escorted to a wheelchair viewing space where I could sit with my girlfriend and friends and enjoy the Catalan singer Sisa. Maybe the orgainsiers of Primavera Sound could learn something from him when he sings; "Benvinguts! Passeu, passeu....." This was one of the few acts that was easily accessible and was worth the entrance fee just to see him.

A rather irritating point about the festival was that in the main food area there were toilets for everyone apart from disabled people. Is this because disabled people do not want to go to the toilet before or after their meal or am I missing something. This wasn't the only area where toilets for "normal" people were provided but not for wheelchair users. It strikes me as rather odd that the people with mobility problems have to walk or push further in order to use a toilet because the nearest ones are not accessible (Maybe someone needs to explain what "Mobility Problems" means).

As for everyone that goes to festivals the toilets as usual were pretty disgusting, but this effects disabled people more than most. The first issue is that we get excrement all over our hands when entering a toilet in a wheelchair and that there wasn't a sink to wash them with. If a person then has to do a catheter it can be detrimental to their health through contracting urinary tract infections from other people's urine. There are ways around this such as wearing latex gloves but still it's not the most hygienic situation for what it in actual fact more of a medical procedure rather than just going for a pee. On the same note of the cleanliness of toilets, many disabled people need to sit on the toilet seat in order to do their business. It just isn't an option to hover over the toilet like many women do at festivals (And quite frankly who can blame them for doing that?).

Whilst I realise that toilets are in short supply at festivals for everyone, something should be done to make this safer and more comfortable for disabled people. Maybe the solution is to provide strateically placed accessible toilets which have a key to get in which could be provided to disabled people when they arrive. It would also be an idea for them to pay a refundable deposit for the key so that they return it at the end of the day and the system isn't abused by leaving the key with their able bodied friends. Or there could be a system of VIP toilets, where anyone can pay a fee to use clean toilets and have a key to get in. I for one would be willing to pay for this service as long as they were accessible.

Many "normal" people may think that this is just a whinge of adisabledd guy that wants better facilities and that I should accept that stinking filthy toilets are a part of festivals and everyone has to put up with it. My reply is that if you have ever spent several weeks of the year in hospital with a urinary tract infection you would understand why this is important to us.

All in all I had a fantastic time at Primavera Sound, great music, a wonderful chilled atmosphere and most importantly doing what I enjoy most, spending time with my friends. Lets hope that Primavera Sound 2007 brings us more great acts and better access so that we can see them. In the meantime the 14th - 15th July 2006 is Summercase a new music festival in Barcelona at the same venue. I hope they manage to do slightly better on the access front and I'll write about this in due course.

Useful Links:

www.primaverasound.com
www.summercase.com