Please Don't Stand Up at Performances

I think this is going to be a short post, so sorry about that...

Anyway, yesterday, my mum and I went to the Kings Theatre in Southsea, Portsmouth to watch Mamma Mia! It was great! We were seated at the back of the stalls, not at the top, but it was in the middle somewhere. The stage was low down compared to the seats we had. It was fantastic until the last fifteen minutes or so, when rest of the audience stood up... We missed a few minutes of the end of the production because all of the audience in front of us stood up. After a few minutes, the lady who was sat next to us had the right idea, she moved to the side, where there was a gap. We found another gap where there were not many people, then we had a good view!

This is an issue that many wheelchair users have when they go to performances, and it really isn't fair! How would you like it if everyone stood up in front of you and you couldn't see over the top of their heads? Annoyed? Frustrated? Yes, that is exactly how wheelchair users feel like.

So, you know what the answer is to that, don't you? Think about the people who are behind you, and please don't stand up to applaud. It's alright when the wheelchair spaces are at the front or higher up, but when we're on a similar level to able-bodied people, it is exceedingly irritating!

May I also ask you to share this blog post with as many people as possible, please? By sharing, you will help me spread this message far and wide...

Thank you.

See you next time.