Guide for "Disabled" festival goers:

Time to swap my shorts for ski pants, for Biffy to become less shirt-less and the butty vans to return back to their industrial estates.  Yes, it's sadly that time of year. The British summer music festivals have all come to a close. As the abandoned blow up beds and tents finally lay to rest in landfill sights, i thought it was only fitting that I compile a guide for next years disabled festival goers.

Wheelchair-aerial view of The Killers at T - July 2013

Is the "Disabled Campsite" for you?
For first timers, it's about making the decision on whether to use the "disabled" camping facilities or not. Festivals are pretty open as to what defines a "disability" and a large number of different people are now making use of the facilities on offer. I've met people with Chrone's disease, autism, visual impairment, MS and bumped into the odd spinal cord injured friend. Large festivals, like Reading for instance, are now asking for proof of disability when you register for disabled camping. (They tend to ask you for a copy/scan of your DLA letter.)

Still not sure?  Liberty with autism says "it's quieter than the other camps and there's always staff to help." Iain, who's deaf, likes to use the "disabled access because it's easier for all the deaf friends to stay close without having to stress too much as it can be hard to hear with all the crowd making noise!" He also mentioned that he loves the atmosphere of the disabled campsite and feels safer as there are less people which makes it easier when people aren't necessarily deaf aware.

If you are opting to book and register for disabled camping:

• Make use of the "2 for 1" carer tickets available.
• Book and register for disabled camping tickets as soon as possible, so you're not disappointed...
• Put the "Disabled registration date" in your diary! Most festivals don't open up their registration up until about 2/3 months before the festival, don't buy your tickets and then forget to register!
• It will give you and (usually one other person) access to Disabled viewing platforms. (scroll down for more info!)

My faithful Hi Gear proton 2 man tent: £36.27
(discount card price) Go Outdoors.

Equipment tips!

Granted this is mainly aimed at wheelchair users, but it's something to think about, regardless of ability!

Festivals are a good introduction to camping with a disability, as you're in a safe environment with people who can help you out.

Tents:

• Big tents that are big enough to stand up in and have a "living space" are great for wheelchair users at festivals. It gives you privacy to get dressed etc. without having to use the bathroom (queues don't often occur, but  sometimes you don't always want to trek!) 
• Huge tents also give you privacy when transferring from floor to chair and prevent the rain from pouring down on you as you are about to jump into your chair for the day. (It happened to me!)
• Porches are a saviour! If you don't want to invest in a super huge tent with compartments, that's fine. Just make sure you have  a tent that has some sort of "porch". Most tents do come with this as standard, however some don't. 
• If you're leaving your chair outside, make sure you take your cushion off and tip your chair upside down! (rain and dew are not nice friends to make first thing in a morning!)

Sleeping stuff:

Temperature regulation is a common issue for people with physical disabilities. It might be summer, but the clearer the sky, the cooler the night!

An example of what camp sites look like on Monday
morning...

• Have at least a 3 season or 4 season sleeping bag. (And if you're a para/tetra, make sure your legs don't fall out in the middle of the night!)
• When it comes to sleeping mats, i have a self inflating rolling one. It's extremely portable and pretty comfortable. Don't opt for  a basic, flat sleeping mat. You will either get pressure marks (apparently) and will wake up every morning with a killer back. 
• Inflatable mattress? If that's your thing...go for it. To me, it's not camping but it's great entertainment for fellow campers! One of my highlights at T in the Park was watching a semi-drunk scottish man attempt to squeeze a double blow up mattress into a two man tent whilst holding a can of Tennents!

  

  Roll up sleeping mat...pretty small?

• Don't be wasteful! think of the environment! I hate seeing people dumping mattresses, tents and all sorts. Feel free to get drunk and have a blast but think about how you're going to have just as good a time next year or on another camping trip...you're wasting your own money and leaving a mess for other people to clean up.

Clothing (obviously from a girls POV, but boys, take note!

Shorts, tights strappy tops and hoodies, lots
of hoodies!!!

• Shorts for the day! Disability or not, make the most of the sun! Strappy tops; great for when you've got lots of pushing to do!
• Tights at night. As mentioned, temperature regulation is a bummer. Tights are great, better than jeans and tracksuit bottoms for warming cold legs up. They're "tighter" and improve regulation...especially for paralysed legs. 
• Hoodies! Take at least two. Remember, festivals can be wet and muddy, there's nothing worse than a wet, muddy hoody! 
• Waterproof trousers! Later in the season...rain can be chilly...if it's one of those days, shove the waterproof trousers on! (Put them on the top of shorts, so you can take them off when the sun comes out.)

Extra handy things! (pretty general)

• Don't forget your medication and take more than you need.
• Alcohol gel is a must! (leg wash, and portaloos!)
• Wet wipes.
• make sure your medication and personal care items are protected in different bags.
• Pack a few extra blankets in your car, just in case you get really cold or all your hoodies get muddy.
• Lots of towels! 
• Dry shampoo. (I didn't use the showers at Reading. It's late August and i have long hair that takes ages to dry...)

The reality of "Viewing platforms."

I'm concerned that i've given them a bad press. They're not bad, i just personally never really have a great time on them. Most people i talk to say that they need to be made bigger and the atmosphere on them tends to feel pretty damp compared to the rest of the gig...and most people agree! One issue that is pretty hard for festival organisers to deal with is the fact that some people abuse the platforms. Wristbands have been introduced so that the person with the disability and one other member of their party can use the platform. I completely understand why this is the case. If you're with a group of friends however, it can kill the buzz and people can feel a little left out. As a whole viewing platforms give you a fair and good view and if that's all your after, then you're in luck!

So that's that. I hope this helps you out! Any questions, you know where to ask. I hope to bump into you and not your guy ropes somewhere in the middle of a field, next summer!

Reading festival: Accessible info and reviewed through my rolling eyes...

What sort of idiot flies from Vancouver on a Monday, arrives back in Chorley on Tuesday, attempts to "pack" on Wednesday but finds themselves falling asleep and not moving all day. Wakes up on Thursday, still feels like a zombie, says to their Mum, "I can't go today...i'll die...", the "Way i tend to be" comes on the radio, "American idiot" plays on Kerrang! and within 3 hours is bombing it 230 miles down the M6 to Reading...?
The sort of idiot who's looking like this on Friday:

Rocking out to Frank with Nic and kathleen...awesome
fans from Australia! (Hardcore dude didn't want me to
miss out on any of the set and gave me  a piggy back the
full 45 minutes!

Here's my review of Reading festival from my usual rolling perspective...as well as a few others thrown in!

Parking

Sarah celebrating self
 sufficiency!

Don't turn up at 9:35pm with a "white parking" permit. For some reason, i wasn't given a "Disabled parking" permit and found myself 4 miles away on the completely wrong end of Reading. We made it back, got wristbanded up and found the parking was brilliant. Just like T in the park, right next to the campsite so there wasn't too much of a roll to our pitch site. Being stubborn, tired and independent young females, we were pretty triumphant in carrying all our kit from the car to the site in one run...

independent living! 

Disabled campsite

It's pretty huge! Arriving pretty late, in the dark meant that i didn't really get to have a snoop and meet the campsite stewards straight away, but we made friends with our near by campers who helped us out! (We'd had enough of independent living for one day!) I'd heard that there'd been a crazy amount of applicants who had applied for Disabled tickets.There must have been between 50-100 disabled campers...maybe more! Watch out for guy ropes, they can be deadly for you, your chair and the poor people who's tent you might accidentally pull down! The info tent appeared to be manned 24 hours with enough extension sockets to power a small village (and everyones's phones!) as well as powered wheelchairs/motorised scooters! Fires were also allowed, which is pretty cool and a few people made use of this novelty. Jet lagged Miss May can only be bothered to be as outdoorsey as her stamina will let her...so we decided to pop into Reading itself, every morning (early afternoon!)and indulge in a healthy, balanced pub breakfast. As a whole, just like at any other festival, the campsite was chilled, less noisy and everyone was open to making friends, chatting and having fun. Great atmosphere and the stewards were awesome to chat to! 

Tent town! 

General campsite facilities    

• Porta-loo accessible toilets: The usual, it's a festival, no flush. Get on with it! Just because you've got a disability doesn't mean you don't have to experience what everyone else does! I survived!
• Porta-loo showers: Confession!!...I didn't use them. They looked totally fine, but the weather had began to turn slightly autumnal, i have long, thick hair that takes about 4-6 hours to dry and i didn't want to be shivering and getting ill. Other people seemed to be pretty satisfied with them!
• Water! Outdoor 
•  sinks were available, which were pretty darn handy!

Getting around

Reading's pretty flat compared to Vancouver and Chorley so i found it totally fine! Again, i was extremely lucky with the dry weather! (Good choice, not to go to Leeds!) I discovered my freewheel had a loose screw and wouldn't attach to my chair by the second day, so i just gave myself a good workout navigating myself around. A few people did tell me that compared to Download, the access around the arena is terrible, as there's apparently a lot of track put down to make navigating on muddy grass a lot easier.

We won't talk about/mention
how i got here..;)

I'm not sure if this is a reflection on my character, or attitude...but if someone in a wheelchair wanted to buy a beer from the bar, they'd have to roll on to this tiny piece of metal, then once they have their beer in hand...roll off again. It's pretty impossible to not do this without spilling your drink. So you have to ask someone else to pass you your drink, 9 times out of 10 they ordered for me and paid...so i can't really complain, can i? 

I also spent 2 nights alone as my buddy, Sarah had to go to work. I was totally fine! This either proves i'm hardcore, or that Reading is a pretty damn accessible festival!

Stages and Platforms

radio 1/nma stage platform entrance

Yes, I sulked at Green Day! I was told the viewing platform was full, so i headed to the front where some woman was "guarding" her 12 year old at the barrier. I nearly burst into tears and said "when i was 12, i wasn't being "guarded" at Green Day Concerts, i was lying in bed listening to them!" She just gave me a guilty, apologetic look as the security carried me over the barrier and told me to go to the disabled viewing platform...I told them it was full, as i had tried to get on it before...they then asked, some how made room and I watched Green Day from there. Can all venues/festivals please, please, pleeeeeaaaaseee employ a rule that you are only allowed onto the disabled viewing platform if you are after having a good time and are not going to sit, miserable in silence? Green Day were fantastic and amazing and played literally all of my favourite songs. But I didn't "feel" it. Live music is about more than just having a "good view", it's about being part of something bigger than selfish desires to see or be near people you admire that play instruments and sing songs. Green Day are my all time, favourite heroes. I've seen them twice live this summer and both times they have been incredible but i've not been able to "feel" it due to being at the back or up high on platforms that i'm sharing with people who are just sat listening. One day i will get to a venue that won't have security turfing me out of the mosh pit and i'll be able to really feel it! One day...

If you're 12, wait your turn to go to Green Day concerts and festivals...i did!!

Other than that though...I made fair use of the platforms from time to time. I managed to get to the front of the festival republic stage to see Kate Nash and have the most random conversation with her! I rocked out to Frank in my usual way and sat at the back with disgust, watching eminem rhyme (So glad i've never wasted any money in investing in his music). I rocked out in the crowd a little to Biffy...:)A lot of people said the viewing platforms were too small and need to be made bigger. I can vouch for that!

Additional stuff!

Attitude is Everything  are a great organisation that i discovered that weekend! Their aim is to improve disabled and deaf people's access to live music! If you're anything like me and love attending live gigs then take a look at these guys and see how you can get involved!

The arena wasn't very good at selling gluten free stuff...T in the park was awesome for that sort of stuff! (SO ha! South of England stereotyping the scottish...you are 12 times more unhealthy that the scottish!)
                                  
ATM's were sort of accessible! I could actually reach them to type my pin in, but couldn't really see the screen...

Great fun! Great festival! Great way to finish off my summer...watch out for a "top tips for disabled festival goers" with a few more hints, tips and experiences from other people with disabilities!

WOW petition: Quick mention, i'll do a proper informed blog soon!

 This is the petition calling for a cumulative impact assessment on the welfare (we can already feel the rumblings of) reform that will affect disabled and sick people across the UK. It so far has had over 49 000 signatures and as an e-petition, needs over 100 000, for it to be considered for debate by the Backbench business committee. They are also hoping to raise a public profile using the media and supportive MPs and other figure heads to help stop the injustice thats occurring within our welfare system. If you believe in living in a fair country, but are against the scroungers but for the real people who benefit and make a difference as part of our society (you know, awesome people like me!) Then please just click this petition. Not only will this improve the rights for people who have disabilities, but it will also prove that people with "disabilities" do have a voice and if you take away what we need in order to be great, everyday citizens of society, then we can use them to prove that you can't just forget about us, most of us are still living and doing because we are fighters! And those of you who know me, we are certainly not *push overs! 

*no pun intented!

Sign the e-petition here!

T in the park! Laura May's rolling review and reflection...

My 

Freewheel, music and the great outdoors are my 3 essential ingredients to a great summer...throw in some Scottish mayhem and you get yourself a great T in the park. My wheels blessed Balado airfield for the first time this year, on the festival's 20th anniversary. Here is a little review of the weekend, giving hints and tips of festival life with a few extra wheels!

"Disabled" camping

Check out our porch!

If you're someone with a physical disability who is put off camping at, (or even going to) festivals because you're unsure whether the facilities will be suitable...don't be! Whether you're a newbie to the dreaded mythological "disabled" world or have had a condition your entire life and a little nervous to venture into sleeping in a tent for a few days for the love of music, be aware that most festivals have a lot of experience in this area and, every year listen and review themselves to see what they can do better to make things even better the following year. (Just like the festival as a whole...!)

It's possible to pack a 3 friends, a wheelchair,
4 man tent and enough supplies for 4 days
of camping into a vauxhall corsa!

The members of staff working and volunteering on the campsite at T were fantastic and great fun to chat and spend time with! They also held the crucial traits of being open minded, thoughtful and one member of staff even held 14 years of experience under his belt, (Shout out to Ian, if you ever read this!) If you needed a hand with anything from arriving with no tent pegs and guy ropes (never borrow a tent off a family member!), to running and getting a towel out of your tent as you're about to get into the shower, they helped out!

Pretty awesome shower!

Yes, you read that right, the Disabled campsite at T had showers! 2 accessible, warm/hot showers to be precise that in all honesty were nicer than some hotels and hostel facilities I have used.

General campsite tips/info:

•  If you have "routines" do them! Don't make your body suffer because you're worried that other people will be annoyed for waiting, they won't. And if you take a while, do what i do and get up earlier. I assure you, there is a reason why you have these facilities and they are there for your use, so use them!
• Disabled Parking was right on the campsite, so it was quick and easy to go back and forth between the car to get extra supplies, when needed.
• There will be a wide range of different people with different disabilities. I found it really cool and interesting, some amazing stories to be shared!
• If you struggle with floor to chair/chair to floor transfers, take some strong, male,attractive friends...or, invest in a  good sturdy foldable outdoor chair that you can use as a step and leaver to transfer independently.
• The Disabled campsite at T (and like most areas where "disabled" people commune, i know this descriptions sounds demeaning, but it's the most accurate way of grouping such a large number of diverse people, if i referred to it as the "alternative" campsite, it'd sound like i was camping with Josh Widdecombe and Alt-J!) is  a very liberal, free, open community which is very nice to retreat to at the end of the day, if you get tired during or need to have a few hours to rest up.
• Don't be afraid to ask if you need anything! (Like Guy ropes...or tent pegs...!)

Getting around!

Kaleidoscope fields looking beautiful, the little hill was
pretty nice to wheel down too!

Weather/ground/freewheel!
To say we were luck with the weather is an insult to the term "understatement", but we were lucky! The sun was beating down, the ground was rock hard and probably the best conditions a wheelchair user could ask for. However, there are ways to make getting round a lot easier and yet not feel "singled out" if you're prepared to invest in a freewheel. I wrote about them a few months ago, so check them out!
How to adapt your wheels for the weather!
My freewheel allowed me to push around the entire site independently, yes my friends did push me occasionally but only because of the heat and fatigue. My lovely friend, Danielle, (who won't mind me saying this!)doesn't have a freewheel and had to be pushed around majority of the time. Which is totally fine, but sometimes and as most wheelchair users will agree, it's nice to e abel to have the ability to do something yourself in case you get into a situation where you have to. I live for the outdoors anyway so pushing around a festival for four days is my idea of happiness. For those of you who are more accustomed to tarmac, just prepare yourself mentally and physically for some off-road pushing! (It's totally worth it!)
If it had been raining and mud (like last years T) I would have struggled, but i'd have done it! Freehweels can withstand mud (to a certain extent), but so can mountain trikes...(see above link).

• Nearer the time to your festival, figure out/estimate what the weather is probably going to be like to assess what equipment would be best to take with you.

Mild/constructive criticism

• There were ATM's in the arena, however none of them were accessible and i had to get my friend to get my cash. That's totally fine, but having a chair level ATM would be great for next year!
• (Someone else's' observation) Apparently all campsites had a first aid station, the disabled campsite however, didn't. May also be a good idea to have one of those put in for next year!

Shuttle bus

T also put on a shuttle bus for disabled campers that went around the arena, with stops at the disabled campsite, King Tuts wah wah tent, Radio 1/nme stage, main stage (and another i can't quite remember!) The buses were really reliable, (if not always in sync) and the drivers we extremely helpful! 

Stages

All the stages had disabled viewing platforms or at least particular areas for people with wheelchairs to watch in a safe environment. Like most festivals, it run on a "wristband" system, which makes total sense but was a little awkward when there is three of you, as there was only two "platform" wristbands between the three of us. There were families who had booked way in advance who all had wristbands, so if the platform if your place to be and you know you definitely want to go, go ahead and book as soon as you can so you can have access to benefits similar to this. Luckily, i didn't really spend to much time on the platforms...

At a lot of concerts and events, i get told off and i'm made to go and sit on the platform...luckily at T, the staff within and around the arena were extremely open and happy to let people like me do what we wanted! I enjoy being in the crowd and feeling as well as seeing the music and when it came to Sunday at 4pm...there was no way i'd be sat on that platform! My cousin and his friend promised to stay mildly sober until then so i could get a piggy back. Why? You ask. Two simple words...Frank Turner! Yes, my shorts fell down, and I have had acupuncture because it caused my tendinitis to flare up, but it was the happiest gig ever!  It was always was going to be my highlight, but what Mr T says about forgetting about your crap, leaving it at the gate and sharing space with a few thousand people who just want what you want! Forget about all our different lives, dreams and ideas and live in the moment, having fun! What can compete with the kindness/craziness of cousins offering their best friends to undergo excessive physical exercise to facilitate your frank needs, other fans pulling your shorts up, and complete strangers giving G (chief piggy back-er!)  a rest by giving you a piggy back? Not much really! 

T in the Park was pretty damn well happy and fun! If you're prepared to throw yourself in and enjoy a weekend of living life to the full, go for it...regardless of "ability". We are all human, and at festivals i think the best of what makes us who we are comes out. Enjoy! :)

Evidence of the contrast between Vancouver's public transport and Britains'.

There are "problems" described within this article that i never even noticed  when I spent time in Vancouver because, in comparison to Britain, these problems are what i'd call "nit-picking". If you look at it; "nit-picking" is a pretty good stage to be at. Vancouverites with disabilities/mobility problems can now nit-pick at an "accessible public transit system" whilst us Brits haven't even got to that stage yet! We are still moaning, groaning and fighting to get the most basic and yet central and vital transit systems to even have the minimum accessibility that is required...this shows, not only, that more things can always be done to improve accessibility, but it also exposes how backward and inward looking, those in charge of the British public transport system, really are.

Article; How accessible is Vancouver's Transit system, really?

London: Old and stubborn?

They say travelling changes you. It's expands your outlook.  It makes You more tolerant of things you can't control.

...but, London?

 It's my capital city. How can i not love it? Westminster bridge, whitehall, lost looking tourists walking in literal circles round Covent garden...then the other bits, the bits you discover after you come to realise you are no longer a tourist here. The bits like the feel of north London, strolling round camden, people daring to talk to each other in bars, running over German backpackers toes in hostels...no one really belongs here and especially not I.

Unlike most of my recent visits to London, this wasn't a flying "volunteer" one. This was little old me trying to show my Canadian friend round Great Britain (and believe me, she saw quite a lot in a few days!) allowing her to appreciate how diverse this country is. My friend happens to have cerebral palsy and does not use a wheelchair, however walking and standing for a long time is a challenge and so I really had to adapt and think not only about how to get around in a wheelchair but also how to get around London without walking too far, too often.

Buses are fine for me. Not so great for my friend who's travelling alone for the first time and struggles with direction. However, I pat the buses on the shoulder for doing a good job.

Cabs are fine for both of us, when they stop. (And no, it's not because I look northern!) I have heard off a few cabbies that people drive past when they see a wheelchair waiting because they can't be bothered having to get the ramp out...isn't that kind of their job?

The tube! Don't even go there! I've never been on it! Now, I do know a few spinal cord injured wheelchair users who do use it, but their level of injury is either incomplete or a lot lower than mine and so their wheelchair skills are far more superior. If I ever lived in London, I guess I'd attempt certain lines and stations and improve on my escalator and step skills. However, if someone, for example, a vancouverite wheelchair user who's used to the most accessible city in the world and skytrain, this may prove just a little frustrating...

The truth is. To anyone coming from anywhere west of the west coast of Ireland, London is a beautiful, old story telling grandma who feeds you cakes, stories and enchants your mind. However, once you break that enchantment, particularly looking from a "disabled access" point of view, it's an irritating old man who sits in his arm chair all day, refusing to move and gaining more and more pressure sores as the time goes by and the grandkids move on. All the while, grandma is left alone; bslowly but surely forgetting her stories and no ones here to make any new ones...

And sadly, as a disabled traveller that's what I'm worried London will start to become. Many things need to be done to make London a more accessible city. If you believe the rubbish reasoning that the tube cannot me made accessible because it's a very old transport system then well done you, go join the closed minded crew. But if you're like me, and acknowledge that yes, London and the tube and everything about the place is "old" but with the right thinking and innovation, can be adapted, then please don't just accept and hide behind the "we can't do this because of health and safety" excuse. Make a sacrifice, spend some (and I know it's a bloody lot!) money because you know, I might start spending some in your business, too!

The one thing I loved about Vancouver is I didn't have to spend my life in "mainstream" shops I could find anywhere...I could get into pretty much every shop. In London, in these huge grand buildings, there's always a tiny and yet high little step blocking my way into any place that isn't a Starbucks...yes, if im alone (which i often am, i could ask a member of the public to give me a hand, but why should I, when I know I want to just have a browse and that flattening a high step in a huge porch way would not ruin the history of the building, it'd just be a tiny, simple adaptation.

I always say it, but we must adapt in order to survive. Right now, London might still be a cuddly Grandma with lots of stories to tell, but give her and the gran kids a few years, let them grow up. If old grandad doesn't get off his back side and do something soon, then the grand kids will stop coming to visit.

I am a reflective being, so hang on!

No, I have not written much.
yes, I have been busy focussing on all of the usual paperwork/application process of getting into University.
I'm back home in the UK until August and I have lots of fun, crazy things planned...and already started some of them.

I lasted just two days under my own roof. As i was invited to a "mini festival" or "wed stock" to
celebrate a marriage, it was fantastic and I made some great new friends, as well as enjoying fantastic live music in a field somewhere between Preston and Clitheroe! >>>

<<< I've finally seen Green Day (my absolute heroes!) Live!...i think my face says it all! I hate to idolise people but in that face, right there, is an 11 year old girl finding an outlet...she just now happens to inhabit a 19 year old life and body!

Then by some crazy, "only me" way I ended up in some sort of caribbean fashion show at the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury!






And this weekend I'll be catching up with my Back Up buddies and going Water Skiing...so watch out!

But in the meantime there will be posts, helpful, non-ranty posts...i promise!