abuse shouted at me because I use a mobility scooter.

PP ???????

Caroline2016,please carry on enjoying your mobility scooter and ignore these nasty people. My husband had a mobility scooter for a few years,it enabled us to continue to enjoy going places together,and made some happy memories.He's now on end of life care in a care home,so the happy days are all in the past.I remember some people commenting on the scooter being in the way,but often it was them that weren't being considerate.You deserve to be able to get out and about,you looked after your husband and have been injured yourself,these people might be on your situation themselves one day.

Disabled toilets are mentioned on here. Having recently had a total knee replacement, I used the disabled facilities in a local store. The toilet was spotlessly clean and generally well-designed but, the rail attached to the wall was being used to store spare toilet rolls and the soap dispenser was attached to the wall so that any spills and water splashes would drip onto the floor right in front of the toilet, turning it into a skating rink. Not ideal for the disabled.

Disabled toilets are not just for accessability many have bowel/bladder problems and they should not be used for baby changing although it does happen. Some disabled self catheterise and don't want to risk infection using a regular toilet. I rarely use these toilets but have to when travelling and find I sometimes have to wait while a whole family use the extra space to freshen up. Clearly they have no one with a disability in that family or are completely selfish. Coming back to the OP finding there are such rude people about making comments. It is not funny or jokey. Bullies call bullying " just a bit of fun" when they are found out, it isn't acceptable to humiliate people who have to use a visible means of equipment to help them. I always think they are the same "breed" who humiliate young mothers when their toddler has a tantrum in public, born without boundaries, always likely to say something that will hurt someone. Being "outspoken" is another way of covering rudeness. We have to make space for wheelchairs, scooters and pushchairs, it had to be made law because there were some who were isolating the vulnerable by being cruel. I have never been hit by a wheelchair or scooter but I have been hurt by someone's handbag

I live in a seaside town in an area with a high pensioner population. Naturally we get a number of mobility scooters , most of the users I hope are treated well and use their scooter properly. However, we have a number of elderly gents who think they are old boy racers and whizz along the pavement at full speed without regard for other people . A couple actually drive on the road and recently on the dual carriageway .

As for weight gain and disability. So much heartbreak when women who formerly were careful about appearance and weight become ill and need steroids or strong pain relief. There's nothing stopping the weight going on. If they starve themselves (which some have done under pressure to lose the weight) they end up in hospital and possibly being tube fed as in many EDS/hypermobility cases. People do not choose to be disabled, it can happen to anyone. The person you are insulting in the café could be a former lawyer, doctor , teacher trying to find a bit of normality in their lives. If these places object to their presence they can be reported for disability hate crime.

on the flip side I get cheezzzzzzzed off with mobile folk expecting me to shift out of their way

Our local hospital aspires to the mantra " Not all disability is obvious"

If anyone is that rude then they will get the rough edge of my tongue and believe me its about 60 grit on the sand paper scale

There does seem to be some form of mis-comprehension that if you are obviously 'old' then use of blue badge when in car and pavement mobility scooter is okay. That is me - and since having my mobility scooter I have been very pleasantly surprised as to how very helpful everyone is, particularly car drivers who always seem to stop if I am waiting to cross a road.
Due to having severe UC when i was much younger and subsequent permanent ileostomy for the past 26 years I prefer to use the large 'disabled' toilets so that I have a wash hand basin close at hand and privacy. Nobody has ever queried my right to use these.
However, one of my g.daughters has a problem which mean she has no nerve use of her anus, between the age of 4 yrs and 11 yrs, her mother would often need to take into a disabled loo in order to clean her up and change her underclothes. Apart from that, she is a normal little girl, and they often got people accusing them of jumping a queue. (Fortunately, she now has a management daily wash-out technique which has nearly solved this problem).

I had to use a disability scooter from my middle 40’s as I struggle to get around,my kneecap is at the side of my leg plus I had other health problems,I was also caring for my husband who had a massive stroke and dementia,it was like looking after a new born. Used to take my daughter to school and back and went through a period where she didn’t want to go home as a group of youths would follow us all the way home shouting out benefits fraud at me,one time one if their parents were there and I thought good,he will stop them,did he heck,just put his head down and let them carry on,wanted to say I would swap my life for theirs but don’t think I would as would hate that attitude.
I also had people shouting can’t you go any faster? Bought a sticker to go on the back of a tortoise that said I’m going as fast as I can.
I haven’t been able to use it for a few years now as my neck has now twisted so can’t look to my left so my another of my daughters has to push me in an attendance wheelchair and even now people will just stand in the way,if I ask if they can excuse us I get laughed at because I can’t speak properly now.
The discrimination certainly seems to have got worse over the years

I can’t understand this intolerance.
There but for fortune.........

Thank you for all your comments , Madgran77 I like your style ! and I do so agree NanaandGrampy about the mobile phone users , I have had people walk straight into the front of my scooter , no way can I avoid them.
I realize that I will have to start and answer these idiots back and not just ignore them ,
Can I just make the point that when you have had illnesses and are disabled it can leave you lacking in self confidence ( it has me ) and people shouting abuse and making personal comments can make you feel as if you are a waste of space and should not be out ( I thought this attitude went out with Queen Victoria ) and it can be a struggle to actually go out , and I make " excuses " not to go out some days , no way can it be taken as " gentle teasing ".

I was going to post a very similar remark to that already posted by mostlyharmless. I am shocked that when we hear so much nowadays about hidden disability etc people can remain so ignorant. caroline2016 best to have selective hearing for your own sanity but otherwise maybe say something like, 'wish I could swap places with you for just one day!'

Yesterday, I had a very scary experience, I went to our weekly car boot sale on my mobility scooter , I was driving at 1 mph looking at the stalls with one eye and at the same time watching the people around me , to make sure I did not touch them or they walk into me I am a VERY careful and considerate driver , a man walked past me for a short distance then turned around and walked back to me shouting into my face , dont break the speed limit here , I decided not to argue but just smiled sweetly and said no.
Returning home , I was driving at 4 mph on the pavement
heading for bollards in the road where I always cross as I have a good view in both directions , when I was approx 25 yards from the bollards a car came at high speed from the left , slammed on his brakes and skidded around the bollards mounted the pavement in front of me and drove his car at me , veering off the pavement just before he hit me , as he passed I reconised the driver as being the man who had spoken to me , a man walking from the opposite direction came and asked if I was ok , and said he nearly hit you , I hope his tyres burst. no doubt it was this idiots idea of a "joke". unfortunately I did not get the cars number , I do not know weather to report it to the Police or not as I do not have his number , but , it really shook me up.

We have a local lady on her mobility scooter who goes mad on the pavement and shops. I said to her you better be careful you might hurt someone her response was if they don't get out of my way its there fault! I appreciate that most disabled people are very nice but you always get one which gives you a bad name!

Wow...did you explain to them your legs got crushed between a wall and a vehicle???? I can't believe how heartless/sensless some people can be. I became disabled two years ago and besides the disability itself, I think the way people viewed me was just as hard. Every step I took in public was not only physically slow, but painful psychology because I couldn't walk fast enough to escape the looks I got from people. I went from playing my favorite sports several times a week and even winning trophies before my disability to struggling to walk normal and feeling ridiculed inside. I tried using a mobility scooter in the grocery store and it was very strange and somewhat sad. I found that most people didn't or were afraid to look at me while on the scooter compared to when I was pushing a cart. I really understood for the first time how many people who are in a wheelchair might feel invisible or dismissed, and it's helped me now to try to always make eye contact because I was guilty of the same thing before my disability. Where I live, I've found many people holding doors open and being kind, but there were times I would get very angry when I felt people were trying to "push me along" in the grocery store because they didn't see I had walking issues right off and they thought I was going slow on purpose. Once I was walking through a parking lot and some younger guys in a truck veered towards me as if they were going to hit me, so I just leaned into the trucks direction and gave them a scare..Haha. I've also found that many times the elderly have given me denigrating looks...even when they themselves were using a cane (??) It's too bad that we can't invent some type of "fart spray".. a legal, non injurious substance that we can spray at senseless people. Nothing that will actually get on them.. just a foul whiff that will cause their noses to wrinkle and their heads to whip around wondering where it came from (by then we'll have escaped with our scooters..)

Starbox, why are you getting called every name under the sun? Is it because your actions or attitude? These campaigns are to protect the disabled and other groups because they are most at risk and cannot help the color of their skin or didn't choose to become disabled. They can be much more of a target because of people's ignorance/hatred which they may have to endure their entire lives, every time they go out in public or apply for a job, or want to join a group. Does this really happen to you and other "non special " folk on a regular basis? Would you really want to experience the daily life of a person with a disability and be bullied, attacked or demeaned on top of being unable to protect yourself? No??

I don't know about UK, but here in the US, it's extremely hard to get disability benefits. During my initial phone interview, the woman from social security practicly had me in tears because she was so hostile and uncompassionate. She questioned me as though I were a criminal and I felt she was overly personally involved with her own biased set of beliefs for all applicants. She scared me into thinking I wouldn't get approved, but the examiner did approve me . She is my case manager now and dealing with has been unpleasant. There's a nice guy at the same office who answered my questions beautifully, so they're all not like that, but society has promoted the notion that many people who receive benefits are not really disabled and that we are living large. This is simply not true. It's very complicated .

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My poor Aunt used to get taunted by the lovely youths in her village when she went out on hers, poor parenting and not educating children about disability. I do object to mobility scooter being driven at full pelt around our shopping centre though, no warning, just speeding behind you and expecting you to jump out the way.

I agree it's disgusting how disabled people are treated and especially people with hidden disabilities. However, it's important to also bear in mind that, just as some able bodied people are horrible. You also get some disabled people who aren't very nice.
Becoming disabled doesn't automatically turn you into a nice person if you're previously been horrible.
I've been run into by a disabled scooter in the past. One lady even bellowed Get the f**k out of my way. Nice.
On the other hand, rhe lady who lives next door to us is disabled and is the nicest person I've ever met. She has a disabled parking bay. But whenever possible she will move her car so that that it makes it easier for us to park (if we have visitors etc) We are always courteous and kind to her as well and help her out as much as possible.
On the other hand a couple moved in down the road two years ago, and basically told all the neighbours that he would be applying for a disabled bay and didn't care what anybody else thought, even though there were loads of objections. Extremely narrow road, plus its on a cyldesac The disabled bay wasn't even for him. It's apparently for some relative who's disabled that doesn't even live there
Two neighbours have had to turn their front gardens into parking bays, at great expense, all because of his entitled attitude.

Trying to see things from both sides

I should add that my father had a mobility scooter and a disabled parking badge. I was his chauffer for about six years. So I have seen the difficulties he faced.
But he aways tried to be courteous to other pavement users and would have been mortified if he'd accidentally run into someone.

I don't recall him ever being shouted at maybe it's different for men?

I am really horrified by the stories on here. I must confess I give anyone on a disability scooter a very wide berth as sadly, where I am, they go at some speed and I cannot jump quickly out of the way. I also have hearing difficulties, which also never gets taken into account by people who drive at speed on the walkways and the other being cyclists. I don't hear you when you are behind me. Having said this, I have never abused or commented on anyone on a disabled scooter in my life. It's not my business why they have it. I have an unseen autoimmune condition, so I know what it's like when everyone assumes you are fit. One problem is many scooter owners have never driven, some are very bad at just reversing without looking to see who is behind them. I honestly cannot understand how you need a licence for a car/bike etc, but you don't for what is essentially a vehicle. Some of these scooters are massive and could do you a real injury. They should also need insurance to drive. Im sorry so many on here have received abuse, that is awful.

Another very old thread!

The abuse that some posters on here have endured because of their disability - hidden or otherwise - is appalling.

One has to question why people can be so mean-spirited, mocking, intolerant - and just plain ignorant. I suppose also there is the fact that some individuals are repulsed by disability out of fear - but that's no excuse either.

Personally, I think it's largely ignorance and I don't just mean ignorance of medical conditions., but the literal definition of the word - uneducated, uninformed, unschooled, untrained, unaware, insensible.

Although one really can't simply blame the government (this one or the last / previous) - the deluge of articles in certain tabloids highlighting the abuse of the benefits system with false claims to disability, really doesn't help at all.

And Duncan-Smith's 'campaign' to focus on the abilities rather than disabilities of the poor and disabled though possibly well-intentioned has backfired. It has led some to believe that every disabled person can get a job "if he / she wants to". Though in principle that's a nice idea - the reality is somewhat different. Many employers simply do not want to employ disabled people because of the adjustments they might have to make which can be costly and time-consuming. In a highly competitive, market-driven economy, a disability is simply a disadvantage to the employer - that's the reality. Some though, have made those adjustments - and kudos to them for it. But in the 'public mind' there is the belief that there's a job for every disabled person. I remember people citing the late Stephen Hawking as an example of what the disabled could achieve if they "set their minds to it"... failing to mention the fact that he had round the clock carers and the finances to accommodate his lifestyle - not to mention an unusual and brilliant mind.

I hate the ignorance, the prejudice, the mis-information, the intolerance - not just of the disabled, but exhibited towards anyone who is in some way disadvantaged. And I can't help but think that it's connected to the fact that we live in a winner-takes-all, devil-take-the-hindmost, society. I don't believe that disabled / sick/ impoverished people benefit much from a free-market, libertarian, 'every man for himself' system of government. Of course, it's debatable, but that's simply my opinion.

Terrible, i am so sorry you receive such downright nasty comments x

Its bad enough having to use equipment to help with your mobility problems but to be in the firing line for abuse is just so upsetting. Im sorry.

In my case i have MS and i have bought a mobility scooter to enable me to be part of the 'rat race', my oldest GD calls me Madge but it's all said in a jokey way, i havent met anyone who has thrown derogatory comments my way, all i have received is kindness and helpfulness.

I don't go on it a lot, but when i do i am conscious of stares, or is it ME thinking ppl are staring at me? I dont know. I think that people see me sat upon my scooter (. Its not a huge big thing with an array of stadium lights positioned precariously upon it ) dressed fashionably, sunglasses on, hair flowing and look and look with an expression of WHAT YOU DOING SAT ON THAT !

If i were you and i heard nasty remarks, i would say to the person that you would give ANYTHING to be able to walk as they are doing. I certainly wouldnt yell out a quick fire comment to them because then you are lowering yourself to their level.

They are ignorant, they cant possibly understand, they have noooooo experience.

Be strong,be proud of yourself that you are doing all that you can do, be damn well proud... x