It really does astound me, how openly and unapologetically people will be ableist, usually without consequence.

I’ve noticed it a lot recently and it wouldn’t feel right to not to write about it. There have been a few things that I’ve noticed driving this spurt of ableism, here’s just one.

First, a recent news story where a woman was unable to board a bus because she is a wheelchair user and the designated wheelchair spot was taken by a pram. Here’s the thing, regardless of what you or I may think, that space is a priority space for those who use a wheelchair. Therefore if a pram holding a baby is taking the space then the pram must move. There are a few choices that the person accompanying the baby has, they could fold the pram and hold the baby, or get off the bus and wait for the next one.

Disabled people and in particular, wheelchair users, fought for their right to travel equally on the bus. Literally chaining themselves to buses. Before this, there was no way a wheelchair user could travel by bus.

To therefore say that the wheelchair user in this example is ‘entitled’ and ‘selfish’ just astounds me. Giving 100 possible scenarios why the pram can’t possibly move is pointless. It doesn’t matter. The wheelchair ALWAYS has priority.

But there’s a very disturbing pattern I’ve seen of able bodied people saying that wheelchair users are behaving ‘entitled’. Which couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s because of the sacrifices that disabled people of the past made that those spaces are available and a fortunate coincidence that people with prams are also able to benefit from the space but not at the expense of disabled people’s right to travel.

A very good friend and advocate once said that if people want a dedicated space for prams they should fight, the same way disabled people did.

The hostile and nasty discourse some of the general public are showing in response to this story is alarming. People would rather do anything than admit that a disabled woman was treated badly.

That is ableism.

If you disagree with this then the uncomfortable truth is that you are also ableist and that’s something you need to address.

If you feel inconvenienced or annoyed when disabled people enter your space, you are ableist.

As a society, we need to start calling out ableism.