Subway Loyal
Well-Known Member
What do our Disability Matters Group have to say about the facilities?
Disabled Services at Ibrox
- Thread starter 1690
- Start date
I think this is a thread that our SLO could be doing with reading and then following up some of the issues with individual posters.
@Greg Marshall , over to you.
@Greg Marshall , over to you.
I've been going back and forth with the "disability liaison officer" for over a year now.
What a waste of a wage.
She is a rude unhelpful woman imho, I've been trying to get my dad on a match to match membership scheme since he is only well enough to get to some games.
Shes made up a good number of excuses for why its took so long.
She said she passed my dads details to ten ticket office, they never received it.
She then said the only way to get my dad on this membership is with a stadium expansion..
She has idea at all the difficulties of a disabled person, she is completely unqualified fornthe job
The SLO isnt much better, I've contacted him to try and escalate this issue but it just keeps going back to her. She ignores emails, I have to send multiple chasers to get a response. Which is normally useless.
It started off quite well as well, she offered the membership for my dad when I first contacted her, gave my dad a few free tickets to start with as an interim solution so I could get him to the games in the disabled section. I offered to pay and she said they were her own allocation. I kept asking for my dad to get out on this membership, last week she emailed after I complained again.
Mentioning the free tickets.. I dont think she understands disabled people do not want free things, my dad just wants to get upto Ibrox safely to watch tbe teams hes supported his whole life.
What a waste of a wage.
She is a rude unhelpful woman imho, I've been trying to get my dad on a match to match membership scheme since he is only well enough to get to some games.
Shes made up a good number of excuses for why its took so long.
She said she passed my dads details to ten ticket office, they never received it.
She then said the only way to get my dad on this membership is with a stadium expansion..
She has idea at all the difficulties of a disabled person, she is completely unqualified fornthe job
The SLO isnt much better, I've contacted him to try and escalate this issue but it just keeps going back to her. She ignores emails, I have to send multiple chasers to get a response. Which is normally useless.
It started off quite well as well, she offered the membership for my dad when I first contacted her, gave my dad a few free tickets to start with as an interim solution so I could get him to the games in the disabled section. I offered to pay and she said they were her own allocation. I kept asking for my dad to get out on this membership, last week she emailed after I complained again.
Mentioning the free tickets.. I dont think she understands disabled people do not want free things, my dad just wants to get upto Ibrox safely to watch tbe teams hes supported his whole life.
ferris72
Well-Known Member
As with everything, the people who make the decisions should be willing to sample the experience to see it for themselves.
Stick Stewart Robertson in a wheelchair for the day and have him attend the game as a regular disabled supporter would, from the trip to the stadium, access to stadium, experience the view (preferably on a day like Sunday) and exit the stadium.
Then see what his views are regarding the offering to disabled supporters.
Stick Stewart Robertson in a wheelchair for the day and have him attend the game as a regular disabled supporter would, from the trip to the stadium, access to stadium, experience the view (preferably on a day like Sunday) and exit the stadium.
Then see what his views are regarding the offering to disabled supporters.
Barryhopez
Well-Known Member
Therein is your likely barrier.
westfieldbear235
Well-Known Member
i sit in the east enclosure and was disgusted to see staff member brushing out water from around the wheelchairs in that section... cmon rangers sort it out
Charles Phantom
New Member
I finally managed to get my son (who's a wheelchair user) a season ticket for the disabled section at the front of the East Enclosure last year. The view of the game is terrible and the conditions even worse!
We've put up with the bad conditions at the games but Sunday was unbelievable. He had his full cover on which goes over him and the chair but even that couldn't keep the rain out! He was soaked! With the rain and the drips coming off the roofs ( we get what comes from the corner of the Copland roof as well when the wind blows) I'd have been as well stripping down to my boxers as I couldn't have got any wetter in the scud! Feet in about a 20mm deep puddle when it rains as well!
At one point I turned and looked at the wee man, he turned to me and we both just started pissing ourselves laughing, it was that mental!
Thing is, he absolutely fucking loves it and doesn't really care what the weather's like. If he's happy then so am I!
Something really needs to be done to improve it though as the present set up is not great at all!
We've put up with the bad conditions at the games but Sunday was unbelievable. He had his full cover on which goes over him and the chair but even that couldn't keep the rain out! He was soaked! With the rain and the drips coming off the roofs ( we get what comes from the corner of the Copland roof as well when the wind blows) I'd have been as well stripping down to my boxers as I couldn't have got any wetter in the scud! Feet in about a 20mm deep puddle when it rains as well!
At one point I turned and looked at the wee man, he turned to me and we both just started pissing ourselves laughing, it was that mental!
Thing is, he absolutely fucking loves it and doesn't really care what the weather's like. If he's happy then so am I!
Something really needs to be done to improve it though as the present set up is not great at all!
gordon_blue
Well-Known Member
When we get Accessibility tickets for games at Hampden, the view is utterly dreadful.
Wheelchairs get the front row, their carers get Row B, and those of use with walking difficulties get Row C.
The view is dreadful. There are stewards, police, photographers and ballboys all blocking the view. It is impossible to see the other side of the pitch or see what is happening up the other end. I imagine that Ibrox must be pretty much the same.
The nail was hit on the head earlier when the cost got brought into it but they really do need to build a better, more accessible, drier area for these fans. Will there even be a disabled toilet?
Wheelchairs get the front row, their carers get Row B, and those of use with walking difficulties get Row C.
The view is dreadful. There are stewards, police, photographers and ballboys all blocking the view. It is impossible to see the other side of the pitch or see what is happening up the other end. I imagine that Ibrox must be pretty much the same.
The nail was hit on the head earlier when the cost got brought into it but they really do need to build a better, more accessible, drier area for these fans. Will there even be a disabled toilet?
This should be our top priority when it comes to doing work at the ground other than H&S Issues
JS84
Well-Known Member
How many disabled/wheelchair spaces should there be?
How big and area/seats in the ground would be needed to be adapted for this?
I guess it's not as simple as moving from the front of the stand to say the back due to people who would stand and block the view fire escapes etc
St mirren away last year was terrible conditions the wheelchair users were at the very front getting absolutely soaked.
How big and area/seats in the ground would be needed to be adapted for this?
I guess it's not as simple as moving from the front of the stand to say the back due to people who would stand and block the view fire escapes etc
St mirren away last year was terrible conditions the wheelchair users were at the very front getting absolutely soaked.
gordon_blue
Well-Known Member
As I said before, we don't all have wheelchairs. Many of us walk with sticks or crutches, and we just want access to our seats. We don't nèed a different section.
Are you in the front rows of the main stand or are you further up?
I guess that when people think of the disabled section they automatically think of the people in chairs. Those that need crutches etc could use the lift in the main stand and sit somewhere up there? Obviously it would mean a stairless access to the seat which in theory shouldn’t be that difficult to put in place
JS84
Well-Known Member
Surely if they were to create a new area it would hopefully include seating with more room and easier access.
gordon_blue
Well-Known Member
GF6 second back row - On the same level as the top of the stairs. So I slowly manage 6 stairs using the handrail but I could not manage if I was further forward.
WeAr3Th3Pe0ple
Well-Known Member
Totally agree with you on that...an a place to park close to ground would be great....
This thread is an absolute embarrassment to our football club.
It should be a bigger priority than the first team.
It should be a bigger priority than the first team.
Good post which mirrors my own experience over the years sadly.
In regards to the charging for wheelchair for wheelchair tickets we were told at the time all monies raised by the charges would be ring fenced and used to improve the facilities, I've asked on several occasions how much has been ring fenced yet I still await an answer.
Believe me the facilities or rather the lack thereof and the general indifference to the problems faced by disabled fans are raised at every single DMG meeting by myself and others yet very little is every done other than some platitudes uttered.
I have requested for years that proper minutes are taken and circulated but our Disability Access Manager is absolutely adamant that will not happen. If it did happen people would see (and be shocked) that the exact same points are being raised by disabled fans over and over and over and over again and are simply being ignored.
For 9 months at every single DMG meeting I raised the issue of a broken lock on a disabled toilet in the East Enclosure our DAM just ignored it and did nothing about it till one meeting Stewart Robertson was in attendance and instructed that not only that lock be fixed but that all disabled toilets be fitted with the standard Radar Key locks (this has massively cut the abuse of said toilets), as grateful as I am for SR's intervention I find it desperately sad that it had to reach the point where the the Club's Managing Director had to personally intervene.
Also there's a disabled toilet in the Ambulance Room and for even longer that the broken lock fiasco it was unusable as the cistern was either permantely running or wouldn't flush at all, despite the DAM being aware of the problem it wasn't addressed till I personally raised it with a Club Director who ensured it was fixed before the next home game.
Sadly these 2 examples are all too symptomatic of the reality of what takes place.
To be fair to Greg he seems to have a genuine concern in regards to disabled issues (even though not strictly his remit) and one of his first actions was to sit in the wheelchair section of the West Enclosure to see for himself the problems we face a stark contrast to our Disability Access Manager who steadfastly refuses to do so.
I really doubt that experience is exclusive to yourself.
IIRC there should be circa 240 wheelchair spaces and an equivalent amount of ambulant spaces.
https://www.cafefootball.eu/sites/d...iles/pdfs/UEFAandCAFEGoodPracticeGuideENG.pdf
The greatest obstacle to improving the facilities is not physical or structural but rather the general indifference and lack of will.
Superrangers
Well-Known Member
Excellent post and it’s disappointing to hear.
Man Utd see yo have a good disabled section, elevated too so better views of the pitch.
Braeside58
Well-Known Member
It saddens me to hear about the poor disability section that we have at Ibrox and this should be addressed with a matter of urgency.
We should be providing a far better service that we do at present.
Here's a wee thought, could we not take away one of the big screens and build a new disability section to meet the criteria of what we need for our disabled fans ?.
Keep it all under cover also and provide adequate food and drink also, plus toilet facilities etc ?
We should be providing a far better service that we do at present.
Here's a wee thought, could we not take away one of the big screens and build a new disability section to meet the criteria of what we need for our disabled fans ?.
Keep it all under cover also and provide adequate food and drink also, plus toilet facilities etc ?
AndythephotoDr
Well-Known Member
Mate I appreciate what you are saying is coming from a good place but for me the very notion of a wheelchair “section” should be obsolete these days.
As a wheelchair user I want to go to a venue with a choice of places to sit, the ability to attend events with my family and friends and not be lumped in a section. The stadium should have a verity of areas accessible on all levels of the ground, seating areas should be adaptable to suit the needs of the fans. Biggest restriction I have with a traditional disabled area is the notion we all attend events with one “carer”. I go to things with my wife and son and we want to sit together which is an impossibility in these disabled sections you normally see. The other thing is we are normally put at pitchside level which isn’t the best from a sitting position as there are folks like the police and stewards who stand in your way.
IIRC we're only allowed 4 wheelchairs at a time in Argyle House or so we're told.
Last December after the Hibs game there was a fire alarm in Argyle House. A wheelchair user was in hospitality when the alarm went off (it actually went off several times) and he expected the staff to put into action the evacuation plan. To his utter shock and dismay not one member of staff knew what to do, they didn't know anything about the "safe space", they didn't know where the evac chair was located, didn't know the evacuation protocol or route in fact they knew absolutely nothing at all about evacuating a wheelchair user. Fortunately the alarms were false and there was no fire otherwise it doesn't bear thinking about the consequences.
Inquiries revealed it was a "training issue" to do with "Health and Safety", believe it or not the Health and Safety Manager and the Disability Access Manager are one and the same!
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AndythephotoDr
Well-Known Member
I’m sorry to hear your experiences with Liz hasn’t been as good as my own as I found her very helpful and informative as she herself pointed out where the club were failing and what was trying to be done to address this.
Did she discuss the accessibility card with you?
It’s a huge waiting list to get season ticket and with the match to match scheme the reality is there are only about 7 available seats.
Ideally we need to get to a point where ordering an accessible ticket is as easy as getting a ticket for an able bodied person.
I understand the club as a business won’t want to lose any revenue from seats but it could be argued due to the demand for accessible seating that ‘a reasonable adjustment’ could be losing 2 rows of seats and making more disable toilets for example if it were pursued by disabled groups and backed up by court proceedings
As a Rangers fan we see the club are trying to do right but as a disabled person wanting to go to a match you have to ask are they doing enough and quickly enough
The card reader in the West Enclosure has been broken for over a decade and was never replaced, we were categorically told we'd get new readers when the rest of the ground got upgraded. Well the rest of the ground has all new all singing card readers yet at the disabled entrances at the Enclosures they're ticking names off a paper list.
BeakerB
Well-Known Member
I applied for disability parking for myself at the stadium due to a terminal illness, took them 9 weeks to tell me they had no spaces left but would be on waiting list. That’s not a problem if there’s no parking left, but 9 weeks to tell me, had to go through SLO to get a reply. They told me last Friday, by luck I,d put other arrangements in place as just now I can manage if I take my time, but come a wet freezing cold winters day there will be no chance of me hanging about.
There are so many spaces round the stadium, they should be able to accommodate you. Even if they have to give you a space that’s not classed as disability parking spot.
interbear
Well-Known Member
I’m in the West Enclosure quite low down in the corner of SW5. Sunday was brutal weather wise as we all know and I felt awful for the disabled fans in chairs. They sit right at the front at ground level so took the brunt of the monsoon conditions and had a shocking view of the game. It’s simply not good enough.
Not only would I like to see our club do something to address this, it seems to me to be a perfect “project” for Club1872 to support in terms of funding. We, the Rangers family, should look after these fans far better, especially in light of the Everyone, Anyone campaign but even more so out of pure decency in terms of treating them properly and giving them a better match experience.
Sunday’s weather just highlighted how awful our current provision for disabled supporters is.
Not only would I like to see our club do something to address this, it seems to me to be a perfect “project” for Club1872 to support in terms of funding. We, the Rangers family, should look after these fans far better, especially in light of the Everyone, Anyone campaign but even more so out of pure decency in terms of treating them properly and giving them a better match experience.
Sunday’s weather just highlighted how awful our current provision for disabled supporters is.
Was in there for the first time last night, totally agree. Bumped into I guy I used to support and he showed me around it. I managed to get him a card for it when it first opened a couple of years ago, he hadn't been to Ibrox since 2001 when he sustained a serious head injury. Thought it was a bit wee right enough.
klosrfc
Well-Known Member
It is smaller but they do limit the numbers. My boy was at the oxford game (got to see one goal myself
) but he loved it.
necorner
Well-Known Member
I’m 2 rows back from the wheelchair guys in the EE. The boys in line with the 18 yard box can only see about 50% of the pitch at best - then players come out to warm up right in front of them which reduces their view to about 25%. It’s really very poor. Must be so frustrating for them. Not sure what the solution is. Maybe take a couple of rows out at F and G, put a ramp in and move the rest of us forward a bit
It is smaller but they do limit the numbers. My boy was at the oxford game (got to see one goal myself
When my service user got the card I thought it was just like a normal ST, had a bit of explaining to do when I found out it was invite only but he was fine with that. For him it's the nostalgia factor as much as actually supporting the team.
Nevertheless, going by the previous comments in this thread, there's a lot of work to be done to accommodate supporters with disabilities, whether visible or non-visible.
AndythephotoDr
Well-Known Member
You have tagged me here and I’m totally clueless to what you are going on about
klosrfc
Well-Known Member
FYI they stopped giving cards this season, apparently no one was using them
Ah OK, that must include the guy I used to support, he kept badgering me to get him a new card after I stopped supporting him.
Bluenosebear48
Member
Iv tried on numerous occasions to try and get accessible seating. I'm on crutches and been told to go on wheelchair space waiting list and have to be a season ticket holder. Last game I got to was against sporting Lisbon and now I cant see me getting back any time soon. I manage to get to a away game nearer to home and there brilliant for getting accessible seating. Think its poor when I called to try and get tickets to be told id be fine in club deck
klosrfc
Well-Known Member
I have one from last season but emailed to ask as I hadn't got one for this season and that's when they told me.
klosrfc
Well-Known Member
Would you be able to go with the aid of a "buddy"/helper?
Bluenosebear48
Member
Unfortunately I'm unable to do stairs. I can dislocate a joint at any time so Iv to be as careful as possible
