A response to a BBC news article about the bus service Arriva in Darlington behaving very wrong towards disabled people.  It has been my experience that very few people will inconvenience themselves for a physically handicapped person.

"The firm (Arriva) said it adhered to Department for Transport guidelines which state that if other passengers are occupying wheelchair spaces, staff are not obliged to move them or make them move."

Doesn't it say an awful lot about attitudes that Arriva won't ask passengers to move but what is even worse passengers don't seem to move themselves when a physically handicapped person needs the space.

This reminds me of an incident that occurred with me in an Irish Session in a pub called The Maltings in York in the early 90s. Because my right wrist is fused, when I play my harmonica I don't push the slide in with my finger I have to sort of punch it with my whole arm so my elbow sticks out a bit. Some guy in the Irish session objected to the fact that I took up a little bit more space than other people and got quite nasty about it. Two things happened: I came very close to punching him but more interestingly I received absolutely no support whatsoever from the people around me most of which I knew quite well. We have a real problem in this country with people speaking out on behalf of others not through campaigns and petitions, which is safe and easy, but actually when an incident is occurring. We prefer to look the other way just as the Arriva bus drivers are doing. People think I am crazy when I draw these connections but believe you me they are connected!

The guy in the Irish session made it up with me eventually but are still feel that if there was a situation where my handicap got in the way of what he wanted to do he would give me no consideration whatsoever. Maybe that is how it really is in an animal sort of way: the weak old and crippled should be pushed aside so normals can have a more convenient life. But don't the normals become weak and crippled when they get old themselves. Short-term thinking? Be kind to people now because you may end up living in a society where they are not going to be very kind to you later. The trouble is we are already in that society!"