Shame on you

Michelle Perrett on thwarted access.

Licensees have been in uproar saying they are unsure of how to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

Meanwhile, Scope, the disability charity, says that 53 per cent of venues do not have an accessible toilet - meaning half of all pubs could find themselves failing to gain a slice of the spending power of disabled customers, which is estimated at £50bn.

The charity recognises that licensees should have been given more help and support from the government. However, it is concerned that pubs are failing to take the legislation on board. "We think some businesses are using 'reasonable adjustments' as an excuse. Too often the attitude is 'we have a listed building'," says Andrew Crooks, campaigns officer at the charity.

While it accepts some premises will be physically unable to introduce a raft of accessiblity features, it is the staff's approach and attitude towards disabled people that upsets the charity most.

David Crowl, a disability campaigner for Scope, has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. He accepts that the standard of toilets and other accessible areas will depend on the pub's budget. But he has had some terrible experiences in some London pubs. On entering a pub one night with some friends the barman said: "What's he doing here? We can't have him in here."

In another incident in a Soho bar, when a friend went to the bar to buy some drinks for a group including David he was told: "Your friends can drink but your disabled friend cannot."

David believes the solution lies in proper staff training as many misunderstand the access issue. "It depends on the staff and their attitude."

Pictured: David Crowl, a disability campaigner for Scope, was stung by some remarks aimed at him by barstaff.​

Need the loo? We'll just move the DJ equipment​

The reality of pubs' failure to provide disabled facilities was brought home to The Publican when it accompanied a group of six people, three of whom were disabled, on a pub crawl around Hoxton Square, London. It threw up some disturbing trends which echoed David's remarks about the way disabled people are being snubbed. Three bars visited boasted disabled toilets, but accessing them was another matter. But at least the staff were sympathetic.

• The Legion​ - disabled toilet used as storage (pictured top)​

The entrance to the building was via steps. Those in wheelchairs had to be assisted into the building. The pub was on one level and had a disabled toilet. Unfortunately, it was being used for storage including a DJ's decks. Scope members had to ask for it to be made available. Staff were helpful, however, and immediately emptied it so it could be used.

Hoxton Bar & Grill​ - stairlift to bar broken

The bar has a stairlift at the entrance to the building, but it was broken. The staff were very apologetic and helpful and found a table for everybody near the stairs down into the main bar. They say it is on their list of "things to do" but the manufacturer is insisting on £5,000 to fix it.

Zigfrid​ - toilets inaccessible to all disabled

The entrance was fine as the site was on one level. The bar had a disabled toilet but as we sat down, people started removing bits of what appeared to be scaffolding and storage, which had made it inaccessible for those in wheelchairs. A member of staff came over to apologise.

The Publican says:​

While it is understandable that many licensees cannot afford massive refits or even to put disabled toilets into some buildings, licensees simply cannot get away with doing nothing.

In The Publican's Market Report 2004, only 54 per cent of a survey of 700 publicans said they had taken action over accessibility. The Publican's night out with Scope has demonstated that this is clearly not enough.