♿️Disabled Woman FORCED To Sleep In Hotel Restaurant |🏖️Greece's wheelchair accessible beach

[@Tanny.M]

That's a hotel horror story! I could cry for that lady, nobody should be treated like that!

[@annawhiteley3128]

I really really hope that hotel got sued.

[@johnbethea4505]

All places that cater to we disable people should have their staff spend a day in a wheelchair in the places where they work for training...

[@Wheelsnoheels]

100% I champion that, with a disability consultant who is actually disabled. 🙌🏽

[@christomasjames6620]

I do agree with you on this BUT sometime 1 day isn't enough to really understand what its like day after day. where I like it takes me 20 minutes to get into town as there are only a few drop curbs to get my chair up it should be a 5 minute walk. So I would say if people spent maybe 3 or 4 day using a chair that would be enough to understand maybe and just to be clear im really not trying to be rude or anything so if It came across like that then im sorry. I love the video as always Gem keep up the good work.

[@CharityAngelSpectrum]

I was astonished when my OT said she'd used a wheelchair as part of her training, so that she knew what the challenges are. I have several people who I want to sit in my chair and ask them if they can do the things they say I should be able to. Including the practice manager at my GP, who swears that one of their sites is accessible for a manual wheelchair user (surprise: it's not)

[@johnbethea4505]

@Chris Tomas James I am a disabled Vietnam War Veteran who lives in a very small town in SC, USA 🇺🇸 . Years ago our mayor got a government grant where all walks have a street access.

[@JaneAustenAteMyCat]

@@CharityAngelSpectrum I have an illness that is currently in remission (yay) so I am not requiring a wheelchair or even a walking stick right now. But I would never assume I know what life is like for a daily wheelchair user, especially not when they have *told* me somewhere is inaccessible. Talk about ableism...

[@dawnmoriarty9347]

This is why I have a campervan now. One memorable occasion, I was offered a room up three stairs! When I asked if I was expected to crawl or be carried up, the response was "we didn't think"

[@wooster_wheels]

GREAT VIDEO. The right to repair should be inclusive of all medical devices including prosthetics. I loved the brights signage and would like to see more of it. Keep up the good work!! Thank you for sharing so much information.

[@beverlydust5381]

I experienced nondisabled people using the disabled stalls of the public restrooms, and it was an employee of the establishment, who was taking a break in the stalls texting and was not actually using the facility but was standing in the stalls leaning against the wall,and 5 other non accessible stalls were not in use.I reported the incident to a manager. If you're not disabled don't use disabled facilities, it's like parking in a handicapped accessible parking spot, there only so many spots available for those people who need them.

[@kampover]

I finally visited London last weekend and I was AMAZED how accessible it was. True, the Tube was sometimes a bit difficult, but otherwise it's incredible. Ramps and lifts almost everywhere. Also the people were incredibly kind and helpful. I wish it was like that I the Czech republic where I come from.

[@grandmalin4999]

I know you are in the UK but travel a lot. Did you know in the US you can make a reservation requesting an accessible room but they do NOT have to guarantee it. ( And so far I've found none that do). So everytime I travel I need to check in early ( 1st come-first dibs) and then cross my fingers a room is available. It's crazy. And someone can grab that room without even being in a wheelchair ( some just like more space). It should be regulated! Love your videos.

[@TheMazinoz]

Yes, they give it to someone to avoid having an empty room. She probably lost it as didn't arrive till 3pm, due to travel arrangements.

[@TheToughCookieTeeChannel]

This is why we need our voices heard outside of the Paralympics and I have never heard of this but I will share on my platform thank you for your amazing videos ❤👌🏾

[@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084]

I always love your Disability news videos. That’s terrible that lady was forced to sleep in the dining room. Those wheelchairs from Greece sound really cool and I think the signage is a good idea. I think they should also have tactile signage like raised letters or symbols to provide a non-visual option.

[@reachandler3655]

A couple of years before Covid I went to a scifi convention. The first thing I did when planning was to book an accessible room in a nearby hotel. The website didn't give an option to do this, so I telephoned to book it (at extra cost!). I then purchased tickets for event, train tickets and booked taxi to station. Arrived at hotel to be told that the accessible rooms were fully booked, they'd booked me on 1st floor (despite me clearly stating I use electric wheelchair and wanted ground floor!) and the lift was out of order! They did phone other hotels, but everywhere was fully booked. They did, of course, refund cost of room, but they weren't going to refund other expenses (£85 train, £175 event). I phoned my friend (event volunteer), in tears, explaining the situation and I'd haveto go home. She told me to wait there, messaged everyone from event and scifi group, and a number of people swapped rooms and shared so she, her daughter, and I could share a ground floor family room (family now in 2 rooms, much to the kids delight) at a different hotel, and some one drove her over so she could walk with me to show me the way (and calm me).

[@helencolgan8580]

Great video Gem! At the moment I haven’t tried booking an accessible hotel (it’s in my bucket list) but it is something the hotels need to sort out.

[@tanyaerickson612]

Oh man my therapists actually laughed at my short arm issue while trying to learn how to use my wheelchair effectively. In fact even the tools they tried to get me to use were totally dangerous and wobbly for my wrists. My leg spasms make things even worse so my independence is limited and i hate having to rely on anyone makes me feel like a burden but im trying hard to work on all of that!

[@JaneAustenAteMyCat]

I hope Kat Watkins sues because reasonable adjustments were not made, in fact the opposite happened. £50 and a refund is a joke.

[@cbryce9243]

She certainly has a case. It's stories like hers that make me never want to travel and need a hotel. It's really too bad that these places don't see how much money they could be making by making things accessible. The wheelchair industry sure has taken advantage of it!

[@Tanny.M]

I love your Disability News series, thank you for doing it ❤

[@les5503]

I am loving this series! Please keep doing it!

[@LifeWithMrsB]

The beach accessibility looks amazing!! The hotel sounds like an absolute nightmare! Makes me so sad and angry for Her

[@abstractartist2317]

I wish all or even half of the hotel rooms were accessible!

[@Kate-lr6yv]

Don't use kendall travelodge if you need a wheel in shower because they don't have one. I had to use a swimming pool shower.

[@ceseak1571]

That's so bad. We need better acessable rooms.

[@AlexR_44]

Good Stuff Right to repair is more than just electronics. It's everything from cars and computers to tractors and appliances. It's a shame society has even gotten to the point where we have to make laws against companies holding us hostage via planned obsolescence and proprietary components and designs. It's ssssoooo bad for our environment, the amount we throw away because it's cheaper and easier to buy new. Plus, it's nickel and diming most of us to death having to keep buying poorly made junk. I really miss the early days of capitalism when companies competed by making a better product, not just higher profits. 😢

[@TheMazinoz]

I had a microwave that lasted over 20 yrs but I broke it, those were the days!

[@dawnmoriarty9347]

@@TheMazinoz I had one of those until a few months ago. Husband was determined to repair it. Ordered everything that was repairable/replaceable but sadly it still wouldn't work. Such a pity. Made of proper stainless steel

[@redsorgum]

The chair ramps look great. ✌️🇺🇸🇬🇧✌️

[@kat1722]

I won’t stay in a travel lodge anymore. We (me and my mum who’s my carer) stated in one in April and our car was parked in the disabled bay right outside the door under a light. The room was bad and to get to it it was a long walk down a hallway with lots of heavy fire doors. After a bad night we got up ready to go on our day when we realised our car had been badly vandalised. The staff were little to no help

[@kell_checks_in]

This is a perfect storm of serial incompetence.

[@kayleighbutler2259]

I hope those signs help. They have used similar on trains before but I still struggled to be treated with minimum respect and people just didn't look at them. Rushing around me when I use a stick or my wheelchair is dangerous so they asked people to give others more time before barging through. So sad it didn't work

[@TheMazinoz]

On buses here it isn't always easy to see people trying to get off, before you enter and both doors used for entry or exit

[@paulusthegrey]

TfL has the same problem most transport operations have - lack of maintenance on the accessibility systems. Whilst I have not used a bus for sometime now I've most often experienced problems with ramps, electrical ones not working or manual ones so full of road dirt that they won't unfold, and drivers who wouldn't get out of their cabs to help!!

[@javierbarrucz7755]

Disabled activist keep up ⬆️ what your doing ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ 10:03

[@Jaggededge112]

Oh there was a paralyzed man that is able to walk again with the help of ai. It’s something that creates a bridge from the brain to the spinal cord and it sends the signals that the brain is trying to send. It’s amazing. Probably very expensive.

[@rhyssaunders9863]

Well I know I will be avoiding Travel Lodge, that must have been awful!

[@haileymatthew4016]

I had a disabled room booked at Premier Inn Southampton prior to an early court time. It was on the top floor of the hotel (not mentioned on booking, putting ke in an awkward position of having to agree with 'assistance evacuating' in an emergency ie. hoping someone comes to get me...) The room also had the air conditioning unit going on its roof all night. I struggled to sleep, which is already a very difficult thing for me, right before a very important meeting. The sleep guarantee was not honoured by the hotel because apparently it didnt meet their own terms and conditions, although they couldn't say why... Fighting it is exhausting!

[@TheMazinoz]

We need to review these hotels.

[@lizdyson3627]

Limitless Travel is a good option for disabled travel.

[@sarahemf]

I have brittle bones also known as oi, and this is horrifying.

[@SnowySpiritRuby]

A year and a half ago (early October 2021), I was on a long road trip with my parents, and the hotel that we called and booked an accessible room at in Colorado Springs (Days Inn, I forget which location exactly - it's across the parking lot from a Super 8) decided to put someone else in that room before we got there, which my parents discovered when they went to check the room to make sure it was in fact accessible before bringing in any of our stuff (learned that one the hard way the first hotel we stayed in on that trip - always check the room before bringing in any stuff). We ended up in a non-accessible room on the second floor at a lower quality hotel (Super 8) that didn't have an elevator, so my dad had to carry me piggyback up the stairs, and then that lower quality hotel still charged us the price of the room at the higher end one even though they weren't supposed to - the people at the desk where we stayed lied to my mom about the price, because the actual charge when she checked the bank statement for that transaction was significantly higher (almost double, and it was only for 1 night) than what the receipt said.

[@TheMazinoz]

Hope they left a lovely review/ s

[@JackStanley-qr9lh]

And also, I've got a friend at this hotel in question which was premiering, but yet they didn't jet the rooms in case of anybody was trapped during the fire as I mentioned in my previous comment

[@cococreates26]

I had an overnight stay organised by a hospital at a Premier Inn a few years back. At check in I was told I had an accessible room, and it was on the 5th floor. They asked if, in an emergency, I would be able to get down 5 flights of stairs. Obvs I said no (since I'm in a wheelchair). They then asked what I usually did (to which I replied that hotels usually have their disabled rooms on the ground floor), and what MY plan was in case of a fire. They then had me sign a disclaimer saying that I was "happy" to wait in the stairwell and they would only come for me if they had the staff spare. Then my carer (provided by the hospital and not staying overnight) and I had to take separate lifts to my room as they were not big enough for both a wheelchair and a person. The room had a humped door bar to get over, and a 3inch step into the bathroom. Also there was not enough room down the side of the bed for a wheelchair, so you had to transfer onto the bottom of the bed and drag your way up to the top. I did show the manager that the room was not suitable for wheelchair users, but whether they actually did anything I don't know. *sigh*

[@BCSchmerker]

+Wheelsnoheels *Sorry for the late comment - passed on the upload initially - but wheelchairs for the sand need fat tires consistent with sand bicycles.* I mean 24"x4" tires, which would look stylish on the Harley-Davidson® (Milwaukee, WI, USA) Velo Glide® five-speed English tourer.

[@othfanatic1]

that hotel issue happens here in US

[@JackStanley-qr9lh]

I don't know if you understand this, but I was staying in a prem with my nanny because I've got disability myself and we got evacuated in the middle 95 alarm but none of the rooms got checked by a member of staff to see if anybody was on the floor Struggling to get out. I don't know whether that should've been done or not😡

[@apislapis]

It must be my eyes I thought it said "be considerate toothers" and I was wondering what a toother was. I spent two nights of my honeymoon in a Premier Inn in a room with disability access (I use a large Pride Revo 2.0 scooter not a wheelchair). I have difficulty sleeping lying down so when the internet shows pictures of a chaise longue I think I'm sorted. I ended up sleeping in a chair with tight fitting sides. Upon leaving I asked next time would it be possible to have a chair in my room without arms to help me sleep better? The receptionist went to speak to the manager who was in earshot. She said that I should consider myself lucky to have had the use of a chair, being disabled I had a wheelchair anyway (again I have a scooter) and to prevent sores I could always sit on the end of the bed. My wife was livid. At one stage it was mentioned that had I asked I could have had a room with better facilities on the first floor. We had to point out I am disabled, in the evnt of a fire I would not be able to use my scooter in the lift to escape, presumably I'd burn to death in such circumstances?

[@damariscrafts5926]

Thank you for your brilliant videos, on the subject of travel. I wanted to go to Cyprus to visit my brother and his family, I was really excited until I was told that I couldn't fly by myself as I am unable to get off the plane unaided in an emergency. I was absolutely gutted as I wanted to surprise my niece for her 16th birthday. I do not get that we are in 2023 and some airlines cannot cater for me. The airlines in question are Easy Jet and British Airways

[@MusingsFromTheDen]

That's shocking! I am a wheelchair user and flew to Germany twice by myself with BA in 1999 and 2000 no problem so I'm dismayed to see things have gone backwards in the 21st Century.

[@CharityAngelSpectrum]

... Doesn't bode well for me ever going back then. That's utterly ridiculous, and probably illegal. I'm fairly sure that should be covered by the Equality Act. Especially since they're both British based.

[@dawnmoriarty9347]

They use the same excuse to deny us access to the more legroom seats

[@sabreniamorgan9939]

I have had my rooms given away. I was put in a non accessible room and had to keep taking the elevator down several flights to the lobby to use the bathroom. The kicker is that even the lobby bathroom was wildly inaccessible. It did have grab bars in one stall but the stall was so small the door wouldn’t close behind my wheelchair so I had to use the toilet with the door open! I have been told by a particular hotel that they will no longer drop the bed off the rails so that it is at reasonable height for transfer because the last time they did it for me at that exact hotel only 6 weeks prior, their staff broke a tv putting the bed back on the rails. It was awful. My husband had to pick me up and carry me in and out of bed while we were also caring for our preschooler twins. Conversely, Walt Disney World has always been absolutely amazing with accommodations. I have had difficulty with rooms only twice in the maybe over 60 times I have stayed there after becoming paralyzed. Both times, they rectified the situation with upgraded accessible rooms. In fact, we got some serious pixie dust when I took my little brother for his 21st birthday. We booked an accessible room in the garden wing of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. When we got there, somehow the room was unavailable or had been given away. I was nearly in tears. The cast member told me not to worry, it would be fixed. In a few minutes she came back and told us to enjoy our vacation and went on to explain that they were very sorry for the inconvenience and that they bumped us up to a concierge level room with a Magic Kingdom view on the 14th floor! It was one of the best Disney experiences of my life. My brother had a fabulous 21st birthday. I have a lot of travel stress, especially now that I’m a parent, but I never worry about accommodations at Disney World.

[@ElicBehexan]

In the 1990s, my mother fell in New Orleans and sprained her ankle. Because we couldn't leave New Orleans before noon, we could not drive from there to Austin, where we lived, in one day. We stopped in Houston where I have friends. We went to a Motel 6 and I demanded an accessible room for my mother. Technically I was the handicapped person - I have a mostly invisible handicap - but this day my mother was on crutches and she was in her 70s. I had sprained an ankle in my 30s and could barely use a crutch, so I'm sure you can understand she was worse. We got the room, but I had to help Mom with things, but I got them to supply a shower chair so she could sit. They had the stuff, I had to ask for it, but they had it and got it for Mom. I guess we were lucky that I already had those things that helped her a handicapped placket and stuff. I didn't have a wheelchair, but the hotel in New Orleans did provide Mom with one while we were there. I have fibromyalgia, and still sometimes, for distances, need a crutch or use a wheelchair because I can not stand too long.

[@charliebradford4369]

Refused entry by a hotel illegally because I had my assistance dog with me, despite showing them the law and the 3 months worth of emails with the hotel to try and make sure they were aware of the law so I didn't have any issues on the night. I didn't have any money for an alternative hotel or transport home(hotel that refused me refused to give me a refund on the night saying it was my fault for breaking the rules and bringing a pet - assistance dogs are not pets). It ended up being so awful the NHS was my hotel for the night after I had cluster seizures and had to go into hospital.

[@rienamonroe4262]

I travel with my dogs as well as my electric chair … I am fortunate enough to turn my SUV into a sleeping area bc of the issues with my pets as well as the chair … it’s a bit of a crazy train wreck but man the stories 😂 i wish hotels were way more accessible than they seem to be these days 😢

[@annawhiteley3128]

I have worked in the hotel industry. To deny someone a room because you, yourself, are TOO LAZY TO CLEAN SAID ROOM should be illegal.

[@JelMain]

Sounds like a case for the Disability Rights Commission, given that you've evidence of problems across several business chains.

[@bobbobsin3202]

Broke my pelvis 4 weeks ago and have to keep most of weight off right leg. I basically have to pivot to turn around in shower 😐😑

[@dougbrown7150]

You are legally prohibited from perfforming your own repairs or even sourcing parts? That is absolutely absurd

[@dawnmoriarty9347]

Apparently it's a safety issue. People can repair their cars but not their disability equipment. Double standards masquerading as concerns about "vulnerable people"

[@TheMazinoz]

Though for electrical stuff...

[@carleyberndt8398]

Almost every time my grandfather checks into a hotel, they give him the accessible room, even though he doesn't book it. They just see a man in his 70s, sometimes with a cane, and do it without even asking.

[@angieduvall5128]

I’d like to know what you would do if you get a hotel and a disability room and the bed is to high. What do you do?

[@georgecurtis6463]

I usually have a lot to say on these issues but im at times just mentally tired of the bull that folks do to the disabled. But i know one thing, nature will pay them back. If they live long enough, they will become disabled and then they will suffer what they had once caused others.

[@kayleighbutler2259]

I want to take comfort in that but I know they won't ever acknowledge their actions and will think themselves better or more important than other probably younger disabled people

[@chaochea-vt6uy]

❤❤❤🇰🇭🇹🇭🇺🇲🔥🔥🔥chao chea 🗣️🧑‍🦽🦵

[@ROBOTRIX_eu]

Great beach chairs.. i repaired stuff.. @Louis Rossman youtube channel is on this subject one of top fighters for right of repair..