Booking an accessible venue is only the first part of ensuring full access for disabled people.

Of course, if someone is trying to get past you in a tight space, moving 90° assuming a sideways profile and tucking in your tummy will probably afford the other person free passage. 

This doesn’t work for us wheelchair users. We can’t make the profile of our machines smaller nor do we have parts that conveniently tuck away.

At last weeks Dulwich and West Norwood CLP meeting I was met once again with access difficulties. Feelings of déjà vu predominate my mind when I arrive at almost every Labour Party event I attend.

This occasion on entering the meeting room I was confronted with several people who were standing along a wall blocking an already very narrow aisle. Eventually, the penny dropped and the people blocking ingress moved out of the way. However, by the time I had settled myself behind the last row of attendees, I noticed the people blocking the doorway and aisle resuming their former positions.

When I made a point of order the Chair asked for the space around the door and adjacent aisle to move. You’d have thought the Chair had posed a really challenging task for these people to perform.

What part of “Could you please leave enough room for people including wheelchair users to move around”, they couldn’t process beats me. 

The guest speaker then gave an excellent presentation on the issue of anti-Semitism. Sadly, the sound system decided to play up and she delivered her contribution without the benefit of a mic.

As the next guest speakers began a man walked into the room with an armful of chairs. He then positioned the chairs blocking me in. At that point, I realised I was wasting my time and I left.

I won’t be attending future DaWN CLP meetings until I receive assurances that I can attend without becoming the focal point of events. Being the center of attention as chairs and people move around is not my idea of fun. I simply want to attend meetings and take part in the proceedings under my own terms, not those set by the thoughtless actions of others.