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Give priority, not exclusive privilege, to people with disabilities

I was dismayed when the writer of the commentary “When one’s disability is not a handicap” (March 6), about disability discrimination, also demanded disability entitlement.

I was dismayed when the writer of the commentary “When one’s disability is not a handicap” (March 6), about disability discrimination, also demanded disability entitlement.

He gave the example of able-bodied people using disabled-access toilets and stressed that he could not use regular cubicles.

But in crowded places, it is common to see a long queue especially for female toilets while the accessible toilet remains empty, despite the six-to-one ratio. So what makes people with disabilities unable to wait for the toilet?

Take, for example, the designated areas in buses and trains for wheelchair users.

When a bus or train is packed, should not this designated area be occupied by the crowd, rather than be kept unoccupied for exclusive use by wheelchair users despite the demand for space?

When there is no demand from the disabled, facilities like their toilets and open spaces on public transport should be open to all to use, provided they are responsible enough to give way when the need arises.

The key is to give priority, not exclusive privilege, to the disadvantaged.

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