Mobility scooters on dance floors?

[Geronimo]

Out of curiosity. 

More from a legal standpoint. 

What's your thoughts on mobility scooters upon the dance floor? 

They seem to be appearing more and more at venues. 

In particular a packed one?

Wondering if one ran over your foot,crashed into a dancers leg or someone fell onto the user would the organisers be liable? 

How do you think they should be accommodated? 

[Steviehay]

let the tyres down !!!

[Amsterdam Russ]

Inclusiveness is the order of the day, and any accidents would/should be covered by the venue's own insurance. 

It's no different if the scenarios you describe were caused by an able-bodied person.

I can imagine mobility scooters would be unpopular with some uncaring people, but refusing users of them access to an event or banning them from the dance floor would be discriminatory and likely illegal.  

[Leicester Boy]

Absolutely no problems for me, we have spent most of our lives avoiding dance floor collision's, the odd one surely isn't a worry. 

[Zoomsoulblue]

More than welcome - happy to move tables to allow them access , near a table for beer etc - dance floor no, as a promoter I have a duty of care H&S 1974 act ( that act trumps discrimination) legal requirement to safe guard people all - including peoples feet / and someone doing a back flip and knocking the scooter over - works both ways.

 

[Kenb]

In the venue, yes. on the dance floor no.

[Lionelonthevinyl]

Legally I would have no idea..... But for me crack on and get on the dance f!oor if your fee!ing the music...it's probably the most welcoming, inclusive scene there is...if you get it, you get it!! Surely if you were bumped into by a mobility scooter etc you wouldn't care???....thank you....Rob

p.s it's so sad that it's a minefield these days for everyone.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Lionelonthevinyl

[Amsterdam Russ]

51 minutes ago, Zoomsoulblue said:

as a promoter I have a duty of care H&S 1974 act ( that act trumps discrimination) legal requirement to safe guard people all - including peoples feet / and someone doing a back flip and knocking the scooter over - works both ways.

A venue's employer has duty of care under H&S 1974, and the requirements of the act will be overseen by the designated H&S employee. A promoter using someone's venue will of course need to comply with the H&S guidelines for that venue, but the promoter does not have any power to determine whether wheelchair users can get on the dance floor or not. Risk assessment by the designated H&S employee determines that.

And anyway, an accident caused by someone doing backflips or falling over while drunk can affect anyone, able-bodied or otherwise.

According to this site, specialising in hospitality law:

Quote

The Equality Act protects individuals against discrimination by all kinds of traders and service providers including restaurants, hotels, bars and clubs. It is unlawful discrimination if an operator treats a member of the public unfairly because of one of the 9 protected characteristics set out in legislation namely:

Age

Disability

Sex

Sexual Orientation

Race

Religion or belief

Gender Reassignment

Pregnancy and maternity

Marriage and civil partnership

Wheelchair users would most definitely be discriminated against if they were not allowed on the dance floor.

 

[Kenb]

if i was in a venue and a mobility scooter 'rider' was on the dance floor, i'd know i had made a bad decision about the venue, and leave. OR i'd gone to sleep and woken up in Benidorm

I am starting to think this is a wind-up, and i'm the only one not getting the joke!

Edited April 16, 2023 by Kenb

[Stephen Houghton]

Never seen one spin yet though 

[Steve G]

45 minutes ago, Kenb said:

if i was in a venue and a mobility scooter 'rider' was on the dance floor, i'd know i had made a bad decision about the venue, and leave. OR i'd gone to sleep and woken up in Benidorm

Why is that?

As the original northern soul generation get closer to the end of their lives, more will need assistance. Good luck to anyone who is unfortunate enough to have mobility issues, BUT wants to go and enjoy themselves. It struck home to me when I was DJ-ing on the south coast one night and saw a guy in a wheelchair. His chosen method of dancing was to swing his wheelchair one way, then the other, using his arms. He was really into the music and expressing himself the best he could. Good for him I thought. 

If people can't handle a bit of inclusivity to those less fortunate than themselves, maybe they should stay at home and spend their nights moaning about how everything has gone to pot.  

Edited April 16, 2023 by Steve G

[Kenb]

34 minutes ago, Steve G said:

Why is that?

As the original northern soul generation get closer to the end of their lives, more will need assistance. Good luck to anyone who is unfortunate enough to have mobility issues, BUT wants to go and enjoy themselves. It struck home to me when I was DJ-ing on the south coast one night and saw a guy in a wheelchair. His chosen method of dancing was to swing his wheelchair one way, then the other, using his arms. He was really into the music and expressing himself the best he could. Good for him I thought. 

If people can't handle a bit of inclusivity to those less fortunate than themselves, maybe they should stay at home and spend their nights moaning about how everything has gone to pot.  

Why is that?...quite simply i do not want to be at a venue where motor scooters are on the dance floor. I'm 69. When i can't dance anymore i'll stop. Nothing at all to do with inclusivity.

[Amsterdam Russ]

13 minutes ago, Kenb said:

Nothing at all to do with inclusivity.

But with intolerance towards people less able than you participating in the same things you do because it doesn't suit you? Lots of respect for your posts and shared info on here, but that's sad.

[Steve G]

23 minutes ago, Kenb said:

Why is that?...quite simply i do not want to be at a venue where motor scooters are on the dance floor. I'm 69. When i can't dance anymore i'll stop. Nothing at all to do with inclusivity.

Still struggling here. You haven't explained WHY you wouldn't want to go to a venue, where someone has a mobility scooter. Or why when you can't dance, no one else in a similar position should.   

Edited April 16, 2023 by Steve G

[Kenb]

11 hours ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

But with intolerance towards people less able than you participating in the same things you do because it doesn't suit you? Lots of respect for your posts and shared info on here, but that's sad.

 

11 hours ago, Steve G said:

Still struggling here. You haven't explained WHY you wouldn't want to go to a venue, where someone has a mobility scooter. Or why when you can't dance, no one else in a similar position should.   

I'd leave a venue if there were people in baggy pants & towels hangng from their belts. i'd leave a venue if 'the wedding party' were in, if the venue was playing DILYIID,etc. It says a lot about the venue and the people that are attending. 

I don't care who dances...as long as they make their own way to the dance floor -no mobility scooters on dance floors..

Inclusivity & tolerance in these matters ( Northern Soul) are over-rated. People tend to reflect & judge the 60's/70's & 80's 'scene' by todays standards. Not for me. I want to keep my memories in tact. None of which would include someone on a Mobility Scooter on the dance floor. Harsh you may feel, but it's my choice & opinion.

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by Kenb

[Mickey Finn]

For some years I've seen dancers with walking sticks moving to the music the best way they can. That might be me one day and all I can say is good on them for keeping the faith. I've never encountered exclusion in the soul scene, not even in the 80s when I was considerably younger but individuals older than my parents who came to events were treated respectfully and even welcomed. Today there are also djs who are physically disabled but still able to pack a dancefloor, as I saw in Folkestone in 2018 when Mr Levine, recovering from a serious stroke, played some great records with assistance for 2 hours one Sunday afternoon.

We should welcome anyone who truly appreciates this music and use the time we've got to share that appreciation before we're unable to for whatever reason. Life's too short. And doing that doesn't change my memories of decades past one bit.

[Steve G]

3 hours ago, Kenb said:

 

I'd leave a venue if there were people in baggy pants & towels hangng from their belts. i'd leave a venue if 'the wedding party' were in, if the venue was playing DILYIID,etc. It says a lot about the venue and the people that are attending. 

I don't care who dances...as long as they make their own way to the dance floor -no mobility scooters on dance floors..

Inclusivity & tolerance in these matters ( Northern Soul) are over-rated. People tend to reflect & judge the 60's/70's & 80's 'scene' by todays standards. Not for me. I want to keep my memories in tact. None of which would include someone on a Mobility Scooter on the dance floor. Harsh you may feel, but it's my choice & opinion.

 

As would I, as I certainly don't want to trip over somebody's trousers  or hear DILYIID played.  I remember going to the filming of Elaine's film at Blackburn, there were 60 year old women, dressed in them skirts and T shirts with patches on, tats, teeth missing and generally, let's be charitable, their waistlines had seen better days. "Industrial" was a word a mate used. They started to moan out loud that they went to WC in the 70s, had come along for the filming, and were told they "weren't required". I tried to explain that the scene in the film was trying to re-create a Niter as it was in the 70s (where anyone older than 25 was considered a "bit odd" or DS unless it was Brian or Sam. They weren't buying my argument at all. "But these kids weren't born when WC was on, we did and we're authentic" they bleated.

Much as I would like the integrity of the northern scene to remain, that was lost for many of us years ago. Main reason I don't go to many places. But, what happens when some of the scene's older and good dancers are forced out of their brogues and into a scooter through no fault of their own? They have to stop doing what they love doing? That's the point I think we disagree on.   

Edited April 17, 2023 by Steve G

[Geronimo]

Thank you a for the responses. 

We are all,without doubt,sadly getting older and mobility issues do play a big part.

Moving forward is accommodating everybody. 

I spoke to a disabled soulie. 

The only time they can actually get out from the 4 walls of home and mentally escape is by attendance at a soul venue,musically transporting themselves to a time when life was better and illness and mobility wasn't an issue. 

Which let's face it,most of us do escape for those few hours. 

The bonus is of course seeing old mates.

Sadly,some disabled soulies dare not approach the dance floor,worried of colliding into a dancer,running over a foot or receiving disapproval from attendees. 

Sadly disability could happen to any of us. 

 

[Jordirip]

Another few years and it will be like going to the dodgems.

[Modernsoulsucks]

1 hour ago, Jordirip said:

Another few years and it will be like going to the dodgems.

Next it'll be allowing skis on the dance floor and it's all downhill from there.

[Davey S]

The backflips will be interesting

[Nz Soul]

Don't c the problem  everyone entitled to dance and far better than kunts with drink 

[Dave Pinch]

no parking on the dancefloor

[Steve G]

10 hours ago, Nz Soul said:

Don't c the problem  everyone entitled to dance and far better than kunts with drink 

What is "kunts with drink"?. I have seen drunk people but you see them in all walks of life and not many at NS nights. So now you can't be disabled on the dance floor nor can you have a drink or two? Is there a full set of these rules so that people can ensure they don't fall foul of any of them? 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Steve G

[Mgm 1251]

19 hours ago, Modernsoulsucks said:

Next it'll be allowing skis on the dance floor and it's all downhill from there.

What if they played....

        THE INVITATIONS

      ‘Skiing In The Snow’....

....would that make it acceptable .......?

[Leicester Boy]

23 minutes ago, Steve G said:

What is "kunts with drink"?. I have seen drunk people but you see them in all walks of life and not many at NS nights. So now you can't be disabled on the dance floor nor can you have a drink or two? Is there a full set of these rules so that people can ensure they don't fall foul of any of them? 

Think it's taking about taking drinks on the dancefloor. 

 

[Modernsoulsucks]

3 hours ago, Mgm 1251 said:

What if they played....

        THE INVITATIONS

      ‘Skiing In The Snow’....

....would that make it acceptable .......?

It's still a slippery slope.

[Drew3]

On 17/04/2023 at 12:13, Jordirip said:

Another few years and it will be like going to the dodgems.

That is as funny as f#@&!!!!!

Regards.

Drew.