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Able-bodied must learn to be more empathetic

The examples given by the writer of “Give priority, not exclusive privilege, to people with disabilities” (March 23) are specious.

The examples given by the writer of “Give priority, not exclusive privilege, to people with disabilities” (March 23) are specious.

First, his question on what makes people with disabilities unable to wait for the toilet shows an ignorance of the challenges they face daily.

Has he, someone who can get ready to relieve himself in mere seconds, experienced or at least thought about the time and number of steps a person in a wheelchair requires to do so?

Second, the designated areas in buses and trains cannot be kept unoccupied, as there is no barrier to prevent encroachment or even maintain availability to designees.

Unlike regular commuters, who can force their way onto crowded buses or trains by squeezing, wheelchair users cannot board if passengers refuse to give way.

Disabled-access toilets, however, are not open spaces; they are toilets for people with disabilities or special needs. More accurately, they are large but single cubicles, which should not be considered underused simply because there is no queue, and optimally used only when there is one.

Despite the possibility of a legitimate user occupying such a toilet when a wheelchair user arrives, the point is to keep this probability low rather than increase it.

Not everything must be maximised, especially without due consideration for the trade-offs or any negative impact. We able-bodied people must be more empathetic towards people with disabilities; we should not add to their difficulties by being presumptuous or selfish in attempting to partake of their necessary privileges.

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