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Disabled facilities at Rugby Park


Scooby_Doo

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I've just read the article on BBC News (here) about disabled facilities at Scottish grounds.

One part caught my eye in particular:

"But Andrew Holden, of St Johnstone's Disabled Supporters Association, says too often football behaves as if the rules which apply to all other public buildings don't apply to them.

He says one Scottish Premier League ground segregates visiting disabled fans from the rest of the travelling support citing health and safety reasons.

"You can see quite clearly on the highlights of the game on BBC Scotland that there is a small group behind the goal sitting on their own, isolated and away from the main body of support," he says.

"If that would have been a group of transgender people or black people or Asian people there would be an outcry and rightly so.

"So why is it OK to do that with disabled people?

"I do not accept that health and safety is a reasonable or sufficient reason for discriminating and labelling people in that manner.""

Judging by where the facilites are at Rugby Park in the Moffat and Chadwick stands, I assume he is referring to us?

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Has anyone ever watched a game from the disabled boxes behind the goals. They look crap. Really low and at a bad angle to see the whole game. 

The section next to the Killie bench seems decent if a bit exposed to the elements. 

What about widening the walkways at the top of the stairs to put a section in there in each of the newer stands. Similar to what St Johnstone have. Better view and less exposed to the elements. It wouldn’t need to be huge. Maybe lose the back two rows of one block to build. Biggest problem would be putting a lift in?

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10 hours ago, Scooby_Doo said:

I've just read the article on BBC News (here) about disabled facilities at Scottish grounds.

One part caught my eye in particular:

"But Andrew Holden, of St Johnstone's Disabled Supporters Association, says too often football behaves as if the rules which apply to all other public buildings don't apply to them.

He says one Scottish Premier League ground segregates visiting disabled fans from the rest of the travelling support citing health and safety reasons.

"You can see quite clearly on the highlights of the game on BBC Scotland that there is a small group behind the goal sitting on their own, isolated and away from the main body of support," he says.

"If that would have been a group of transgender people or black people or Asian people there would be an outcry and rightly so.

"So why is it OK to do that with disabled people?

"I do not accept that health and safety is a reasonable or sufficient reason for discriminating and labelling people in that manner.""

Judging by where the facilites are at Rugby Park in the Moffat and Chadwick stands, I assume he is referring to us?

It is a good point and something the club should look into. However, this guy using race and gender to emphasis his point shows a lack of intelligence. If he wants change then contact the club representatives for the disabled support and help implement changes. Dont just bitch and moan to the media. 

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20 hours ago, piffer said:

Has anyone ever watched a game from the disabled boxes behind the goals. They look crap. Really low and at a bad angle to see the whole game. 

The section next to the Killie bench seems decent if a bit exposed to the elements. 

What about widening the walkways at the top of the stairs to put a section in there in each of the newer stands. Similar to what St Johnstone have. Better view and less exposed to the elements. It wouldn’t need to be huge. Maybe lose the back two rows of one block to build. Biggest problem would be putting a lift in?

I took my dad in his wheelchair to a couple of games. The view is crap, getting a ticket/space is a hassle and the disabled association ain’t the most welcoming; very quick to point out there won’t be any availability most weeks and the big game tickets are all taken. I got the feeling it’s run as their own personal kingdom.

Iirc the disabled association raised the funding for the current facilities and worked closely with the club on the location. Perhaps it required better planning or some foresight on the way legislation governing disabled access was going, but it’s not really fit purpose. It’s not a location I would choose to sit. Especially when we give two stands over to the old firm when they come calling,

Hearts, Hibs, Dundee Utd, Dundee and Dunfermline are much better organised and accommodating. The SFA and SRU are very good for internationals. Even the local ice hockey team provides a better view. It shouldn’t be too hard to do the same, but it’s just one of many things which were allowed to slide under the previous regime and now we’re playing catch-up 

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As I’ve said before, use some of the cash raised to install a lift outside the Killie Club and get the fans into the middle passage area of the FB, wouldn’t take too much to make space for them and their carers etc. Celtic have done this properly.....albeit on a  larger scale.....

http://scottishdsa.co.uk/new-wheelchair-user-area-celtic-park/

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1 minute ago, Loudoun Killie said:

As I’ve said before, use some of the cash raised to install a lift outside the Killie Club and get the fans into the middle passage area of the FB

That wouldn't solve the issue of disabled away fans being separated from their able-bodied friends.

A lift would be needed in Chadwick Stand too, presumably.

 

 

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5 minutes ago, Loudoun Killie said:

As I’ve said before, use some of the cash raised to install a lift outside the Killie Club and get the fans into the middle passage area of the FB, wouldn’t take too much to make space for them and their carers etc. Celtic have done this properly.....albeit on a  larger scale.....

http://scottishdsa.co.uk/new-wheelchair-user-area-celtic-park/

Supposedly the boxes are going to take up almost half of that entire back section of the FB. I don't know what that means in terms of the passageways.

I wonder if we still have that big box we'd put in for the telly cameras, back whe we were mostly all standing

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20 hours ago, KTIDanny85 said:

It is a good point and something the club should look into. However, this guy using race and gender to emphasis his point shows a lack of intelligence. If he wants change then contact the club representatives for the disabled support and help implement changes. Dont just bitch and moan to the media. 

What idiot thinks that deserved a red card. If u dont agree then provide your thoughts and opinion why you dont agree, instead of being a twat.

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32 minutes ago, skygod said:

That wouldn't solve the issue of disabled away fans being separated from their able-bodied friends.

A lift would be needed in Chadwick Stand too, presumably.

 

 

Why couldn’t opposing fans sit in the same area....??

I do realise it’s not as simple as my post suggests, but we should be looking at these type of options for the guys and girls....

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I am a member of the disabled supporters assoc.  The people who run it are very dedicated and work with the club to try to do their best for disabled fans, ours and visiting fans.  There is a pretty big waiting list (or there was the last time I asked). So the guy who took his dad was just being told the truth.  There are a limited number of spots for home fans and unless season ticket holders let them know they won't be attending a game to free up a space they may well struggle to get to some games.  I am fortunate to have a wheelchair space next to the home dugout, great view but if it rains I get soaked.  The spaces in the other stands have better cover, but the view is rubbish.

I think the club were at one point looking at the option of a lift at the side of the Frank Beattie stand up to that middle section, but I've not heard  anything lately so the finances/practicality of it might not add up. 

The facilities for disabled fans aren't perfect, but given the finances of the club over the last 10-15 years I think they look after our disabled fans pretty well.  As for the away fans being separated from the other fans, the club can't move the disabled spaces, so unless the able bodied supporters are happy to be moved down to that corner they will be separated.  It has happened to me at plenty of other grounds over the years.  

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