Lack of disabled access c2007
2007
Trevor, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, talks about the lack of disabled access c.2007
Trevor states, “Even now there are
only three or four venues that are accessible to me. I can’t get into
Angels, The Village or Partners. I can get into The Nightingale now,
ten years after the Disability Discrimination Act, but 70% of venues
are still not accessible. The toilets are a joke. Missing’s disabled
toilets double up as the drag queens dressing room and you have to
wrestle with frocks. You can’t just go to the toilet discreetly, you
have to go to the bar and ask for the key, they come with you to take
stuff out. You may as well have a big sign saying ‘I’m going to the
toilet’. I can’t think of a single gay venue, other than the Lesbian and Gay Community
Centre, Aston (closed in 1986) and the Powerhouse gay night (ceased 1990s), which ticked all the boxes. The Nightingale is probably the most accessible with a toilet and a lift, though
there have been times when the lift didn’t work; I can get into Missing
but it’s not ideal. There are still a lot of people whose
needs are not being met. The Birmingham City Council should provide encouragement,
incentives and funding to venues to make them accessible. Similarly
Pride.”
Contributed by: Trevor Sword, 50