As some of you may know Ive been involved in working to improve disabled peoples access to gigs,festivals etc for the last few years.
Im now involved with the college disability group & just looked into what Pools offer to the disabled.So far I can see that there are a number of wheelchair spaces for both home & away fans & a hearing loop in the Cyril Knowles stand(I would hope that there is no problem with away supporters using the CK stand if they need the hearing loop).
One concern though is that there doesnt appear to be any concessions at all available to the disabled which I find strange as these days most organisations now offer a concession to anyone registered disabled(some places there is a concessionary price,others offer a free carers ticket)
The disabled enclosure is there,but there are more than one type of disability & there are a lot of people whose disabilities are unseen & are capable of sitting in the usual stand or standing on the terraces.
Does anyone here use the Disabled facilities or has anyone asked about buying a concession ticket for a disabled supporter ?
Also getting in & out of the ground,I assume there is a seperate entrance/exit for those who cant get through a turnstile,has anyone used it & is it adequate ?
Any feedback woulsd be appreciated so I can report back to the next college meeting.
I will also be contacting the club to ask their views & HUDSA to get their members opinions.

Cheers

When I used to work with a young lad with Down's Syndrome I got in Pools for free as his carer. I don't know if this helps.

ok i will attempt to tread very carefully here and if what i say comes across wrong then i apologise in advance...

I agree that people with disabilities should be able to access the ground etc as easy as possible and the club should provide certain services for them. But why should they get concessions? I know several people who are disabled who want to be treated like an able bodied person, they work and earn the same as anybody else, why should they get in cheaper?
And im asking this as a father of a child who is classed as disabled.

and may i point out that my gripe is more to do with people who are able to earn a living shouldnt get concessions. So any mentally disabled people who are unable to earn a wage SHOULD get them

Whereabouts is it going to be?

And didn't we have that discussion on here a few months back?

Well if we did, I have forgotten about it.

Kolley - Cheers,its useful to know that.
Mr B - Dony worry about causing offence,all opinions are welcome.I do agree therers feckers who do nowt & deserve nowt & then theres those that genuinely deserve help,but the government decide who is to be registered disabled & once that decision is made we dont really have all the info necessary to question it.
Concessions for the disabled are not so much a case of making up for a lack of earnings as compensating for extra expense such as someone needing a taxi to the ground as they cant walk it or providing help needed such as Kolley being admitted free whilst accompanying the downs guy.
Elvis - Its good to know that the facilities are going to be improved,currently anyone in wheelchairs do take the brunt of wet & windy weather.

one thing about Darlo's ground, apparently their disabled viewing area is high up in the stands, accessed from the lift in the stand. Any new grounds/ stands should have this engineered in at the design stage

I also think that even old buildings/structures have to be modified by a certain date, once they have been given notice by the relevant local Govt departments??

Well done GC my centre at brinky has just had the final jobs done to make life a bit easier for our disabled users so i'm up on all the regulations if you need any help GC.

As Kolley Kibber has stated im fairly certain carers get in free.
PS Mouldy you using the lift to get about yer lazy git

I was at a meeting at Darlington Fc about disbility awareness yesterday and was told by a representative from Nads that there is a new guide out stating that 75% of disabled seating sould be elevated.

I'm coming out of the closet here, but what the hell.

I'm a paraplegic wheelchair user.
Yes the carer does get in for free, at Pools (or they did when I last visited), as they do at most grounds. You get into the ground at the gate near the club shop and then go along the back of the CK stand to get to the disabled area.

I work and would have no problem paying the full wack to get in to a lot of grounds, where the disabled enclosure gives a good view of the pitch.

Pools however (at the moment) does not fall into this category.
You can see about 75% of the pitch, that is when people passing by don't stop in front of you to watch the game, or the stewards decide to lounge on the barrier in front of the disabled area.
Another slight problem, is that when it rains the water runs off the roof right into the disabled enclosure, which is not nice believe me, and certainly not worth £20.

Unfortunately the disabled banner covers a wide spectrum, and making the whole collective pay
the entrance charge, would be unfair. How you divide those able to pay and those not, is a can of
worms, I am not prepared to open.

I could list a whole lot of grounds better than Pools, and some a lot worse
PM me if you want any more info

Cheers Leicester Poolie,I will be at the college forum at some point next month & after that will take you up on your offer of speaking to you via PM.

Yes i am get on you know.

Hi there a new poster here. I have read these boards for a long while and felt i had to come in on this one. Unfortunately there are many definitions of being disabled but if you can be seen to be able to get around and walk people for a number of people they think of you not having any problems at all. However many things can be disabling such as mental health and depression but the person seems to be healthy and able to lead an ordinary life which is certainly not the case.

Hartlepool United are not alone in not realising this problem as many other clubs are the same. There needs to be a consensus of understanding from the whle of football as you can go to one club and they have this policy and another has a completely different one there is no continuity from one club to another.

Its also interesting that nothing has been mentioned about the new disabled enclosure from the clubs disabled group??????????

my dad is disabled but can walk a short distance with the aid of sticks, and sits in the cyril knowles above the tunnel. He has to go to the game well before two o'clock to get a disabled parking space on clarence road. More needs to be done about this also last time I checked the club shop as a step and no access for wheelchairs (may have changed since last time i looked)

I used to regularly take my Dad (who was in a wheelchair) to pools home and occasionally away matches and both he and I were always admitted for free. He had been a lifelong supporter and only became dis-'abled' very late in life, most regulars had known him when he was 'abled'. Getting in for free was to him a sort of reward for paying to see them play all the years they were shiite and begging to get re-elected to the league.
Access was easier at pools than it was at a lot of other places but we are talking quite a few years ago and hopefully they are now much improved.
I remember he once told the linesmen (extremely loudly)to shift out of his bloody way so he could see the match and the look on his face was a treat.

I have a similar situation to Abingdon Poolie. My Dad who is 81 and been a lifelong Pools supporter can only walk short distances with the aid of two walking sticks. When I am able to go as I live in Scotland I have to arrange to get a seat on the front row of the Cyril Knowles Stand, because I go to quite a lot of games (all Saturdays) the ticket staff have become aware of our requirements and due to our recent form have had no trouble getting a ticket. However, if the front row is not available we have to decline to go as the access stairs to all the seats do not have any handrails. I have noticed that some people struggle to get up and down these stairs and on numerous occasions have had to assist people to get down. I don't think that the club have to make easier access to all stairs but I think that an area can be made available to elderly after all quite alot of these people supported the club during the dark days when without them turning out the club would have folded.
As far as the parking is concerned, this is always a problem. If my wife can't drop us off then we have to arrive at the ground very early to ensure a disabled parking spot as these are limited on the Cyril Knowles side of the ground.
With regards to access to the ground, I have always been able to speak to a member of staff at the hospitality gate who will escort my Dad to the pitch side of the turnstiles, there he waits for me to get in. A bit worrying leaving him standing alone if there is a queue.
Unfortunately due to night week games and living in Scotland, do not think I will be able to get tickets for the game on Saturday at the front of CK Stand but I can assure you not a second will be missed on the box.

There's no closet to come out of and nothing to feel awkward about mate .... and the disabnled enclosure at pools is dire.