Anna Landre, a wheelchair user, was set to travel from London's Liverpool Street station on May 18. Arriving 'several minutes before' her train was due to depart, the 25-year-old said that she had enquired with members of staff about a ramp, vital in order for her to be able to board the train.
I’m not a wheelchair user, nor do I know anyone who is, and even I am fully aware that these things have to be booked in advance.
However, Ms Landre, who lives with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare genetic disease, was immediately informed that was deemed to be of 'lower priority' than other passengers who had pre-booked a form of assistance.
Describing the interaction as 'very abled-mansplaining', Ms Landre took to X to outline the stressful ordeal, adding: 'I firmly but politely told him that I know the law and did not need a lecture.
I think we can all imagine how that conversation diatribe went, can’t we, Reader?
'He continued on and I repeated myself and said I was just looking to the next train since they'd failed to bring the ramp for the original one.' To Ms Landre's dismay, the member of staff then outright refused to assist her any further, branding her as 'rude'.
Then, after speaking with another, she presumed to be more senior staff member, the American activist was told that, given accusations of her 'rude' nature, she would be denied ramp assistance by 'any' staff member in the station.
So she’s American, and doesn’t know our customs? Should she get a break?
Ms Landre, who moved to the UK three years ago …
That’s a ‘NO’ then!
…after studying in Washington DC, was banned from boarding any trains from Liverpool Street Station and eventually forced to return home. Firmly denying any allegations of rudeness, Ms Landre added: 'I believe this able bodied man did not enjoy a young disabled woman speaking assertively back to him in the same tone he was using.
'And regardless, "rudeness" is not the standard for denial of ramp assistance. Abusiveness is, and I was certainly not that.'
Well, the railway staff in question may have a different view, so maybe we should get their side, eh?
16 comments:
How did we cope before we had "activists"?
Jaded
‘O, wad some pow’r the giftie gie us…’
I wonder what impression her last-minute request and her resentment at being assigned a ‘lower priority’ gave to the other passengers who had pre-booked assistance to help them board the train.
Activist eh? When a dog starts barking at another dog the other dog barks back. I think we can assume that the activist's initial approach put the hackles up on the staff member.
She moved to the UK 3 years ago - yet another immigrant being parasitic off the NHS.
I smell a rat. The fact that she hadn't got on an earlier train trying the same tactic says it all.
I regularly travel on the Calderdale line. There is always a member of Northern Rail staff at unmanned stations to assist disabled passengers on and off.
Attention seeker, and the Liverpool Street staff did the right thing
Interesting concept … wheelchair bound ‘activist’ … does she march?
On further reflection - and a quick google: first entry: “Anna Landre is an internationally-recognized disability justice activist…” - Jaded and Anon obliquely make a very good point; to be an activist, you need something to activate against.
As with feminism and numerous other issues, when the rights you campaigned for are enshrined in law and society has changed to accommodate them, you have two options; enjoy the achievement and step back from your high-profile status or search out (and create) new opportunities for grievance and conflict.
Perhaps activism should now be defined as a solution looking for a problem. And I do of course use "solution" in it's loosest possible sense.
Government funding is the problem. Genuine charities had to make their case to the general public in order to attract donations. People would donate to causes that they cared about, once the problem was solved, the donations would dry up. Government departments are much less discerning when it comes to hosing other people's money around, allowing an inexhaustible supply of activist parasites to make a very comfortable living.
Stonyground.
Better.
I would love to see some quotes from them. Oh, if only we still had reporters....
It's a foregone conclusion.
Makes you wonder why, when the US protection for dissabled rights is so much stronger than ours.
Indeed!
*guilty chuckle*
The coin always lands 'search out new opportunities' which would seem to break the law of probability....
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