I was living in London when I was pregnant with The Baby and took the bus to work every day.
I was fine standing when the bus was crammed, but as my bump grew larger, and then even larger, I still wasn’t offered a seat.
Unlike today, where it could reasonably be assumed that I’m ‘just fat’, back then I was skinny with a, well, huge bump in front of me. Still no offers, despite my sad eyes and forlorn glances at people comfortably sitting down.
So perhaps I am a little sceptical about Transport for London’s new scheme, to aid travellers like me, with hidden health conditions – read the story here. It’s a bit like a blue badge for the Tube.
First, how are you supposed to flag up the fact you’re wearing a little badge on a busy, packed tube on a Monday morning when commuters are doing their London-best to ignore everyone else? Thrust yourself in people’s faces? Sidle up to a nice-looking person and eyeball your badge, hoping they’ll notice? (note to self – this could prove to be a most excellent dating tip – I could make a badge proclaiming, ‘I’ve got MS – Date Me!’).
Second, could I really imagine myself wearing one? I’m British! Will it mark me out as somehow different? Well, yes.
Third, we’re all sceptical people; blue badges for cars are notoriously misused and I doubt these badges will be any different. Plus, as with car badges, there will be the eternal refrain, ‘but you don’t look ill’. Even though it’s all about hidden disabilities, I fear the wider public still has a long way to go before accepting this notion.
And when do you fish out your badge and pin it on? With my dodgy MS hands it could take a while. Do you then unpin it on leaving the Tube station?
Believe me, I love the sentiment and I admire Transport for London tremendously for trialling this.
However, by marking us out as different, I fear we could lurch in to uncharted territory – must we broadcast to an entire Tube carriage that we have a hidden disability? I would far rather ask someone sitting near the exit if I could possibly have their seat and quietly explain why. In my experience with MS, people are really rather nice and understanding.
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve only visited London, no way could I cope with the busy streets, transport plus I love edinburgh lol. I don’t see how they’ll make it work my memories of the tube is a completely packed carriage where everybody is basically smushed together and so they wouldn’t be able to see this pin on you at the time. It’s feels quite a hollow gesture. It does single us out which I really don’t think any disabled person wants to do any more than is the obvious signs but I understand that this is more aimed at those with kind of if you like hidden disabilities but I just don’t see how it will work
Absolutely!
Even when I was carrying The Baby in a papoose in front of me, I would still get squashed and had no offer of a seat, so I doubt a little blue badge would make any difference at all.
I do like the sentiment but I think society as a whole has to move to a much greater level of understanding before this scheme could possibly work.
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