Disability: Accessibility problems keep people out of clubs

Cerys Davage, second from left, has a form of muscular dystrophy

Accessibility in pubs and clubs is so bad one disabled woman said she had never seen a wheelchair user on a night out.

Cerys Davage, 22, has a muscle-wasting condition that means she struggles with steps and loos on different floors.

She said nights out for her could be "difficult" but for wheelchair users "most pubs and bars are not accessible at all".

Elin Williams, of Disability Wales, said: "Things need to change".

Ms Davage, who has a form of muscular dystrophy, finds it tough standing up for long periods.

She said: "I don't think that a lot of people realise that a night out for a disabled person like me takes a lot of physical energy, and since I only have so much energy throughout the day, a night out can take a lot out of me."

Ms Davage, from Cardiff, does not use a wheelchair but said she may do in future.

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"There's always some kind of step to go into the club or the bar and there's also always some kind of set of stairs to go into the toilets or get to the second floor," said Ms Davage.

"There's a lot of people who can't go up the stairs at all. And I've never seen a wheelchair user when out, which just shows that places are not ready to welcome that and are not accessible enough."

The Disability Discrimination Act and the Equality Act require services to make "reasonable adjustments" to enable access, but they do not have to be completely accessible.

Cerys Davage, pictured on the left with a friend, criticised pub and club accessibility

UK government figures from 2021 showed almost 66% of disabled people could not access or had difficulty accessing pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes.

More than 40% experienced the same problems when trying to get into clubs and music venues.

Ms Davage said lifts or bouncers who were more aware of disabled people's problems would make a "world of difference".

Elin Williams, of Disability Wales, said: "It is so important that locations, that businesses, receive disability equality training to know what kind of barriers disabled people face and how they can remove those barriers."

There were misconceptions about how disabled people lived, she said, adding: "There is the belief that disabled people don't go out after a certain time.

"So it's important that we work towards challenging those stereotypes."

The Welsh government said it had set up a group to "remove or mitigate the disabling barriers that limit the lives of disabled people here in Wales".

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