Entitled Mom Expects Person In Wheelchair To Walk So She Can Park Her Stroller, Gets Laughed At
Most of us keep our heads down and mind our own business while commuting via public transportation. I’m often staring out the window daydreaming or watching videos on my cell phone, and the only time I interact with anyone else on the bus is when I offer up a seat to someone who might need it more than I do.
But one person recently had an unfortunate experience with a fellow bus passenger who should have simply kept her mouth shut. Below, you’ll find the full story that was shared on Reddit detailing how an entitled mother decided that she deserved space on the bus more than a wheelchair user who was making the same commute, as well as a conversation with Karen Dennis, creator of The Next Best Thing to Mummy.
This person was minding their own business while riding the bus when they encountered an entitled mother
Image credits: Ivan Samkov / Pexels (not the actual photo)
But instead of placating the mom’s demands, they refused to back down
Image credits: Yan Krukau / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: baristahustle
Later, the passenger responded to a few readers and shared more information on the situation
Image credits: Marcus Aurelius / Pexels (not the actual photo)
One in every six people around the world has a disability
It’s easy to take for granted how simple walking to the grocery store or riding the bus to work is if you don’t have any mobility issues. But the reality is that these simple tasks can quickly become complicated with a disability. According to the CDC, about 27% of adults in the United States have some form of disability, and 12.1% of Americans have a disability that impacts their mobility. Globally, one in every six individuals experiences a significant disability, the World Health Organization reports.
While having a disability can impact almost every facet of a person’s life, mobility issues certainly affect how an individual travels. To gain more insight on this topic, we reached out to blogger Karen Dennis, who runs The Next Best Thing to Mummy and who happens to be a wheelchair user herself.
Karen was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and shared that she’s actually detailed her first experience of using the bus with a wheelchair on her blog right here. She recalled that there was a stroller in the designated disabled space when she first tried to board, but the driver asked for it to be folded and placed elsewhere to make room for her.
Image credits: Mathias Reding / Pexels (not the actual photo)
“I enjoy using the bus with my wheelchair, as it makes me feel independent”
Thankfully, Karen has had mostly positive experiences using the bus. “I am a lot more confident now and use it at least once a week to get into town to meet up with friends for coffee,” she shared. “I also go on a longer journey of about 30 miles round trip to visit my auntie who is in a nursing home.”
“Quite frankly, I enjoy using the bus with my wheelchair, as it makes me feel independent,” Karen added. “I have always found mothers with buggies to be very helpful. Most of the local mums who regularly use the same bus as me let me get on first, as it’s easier for me to maneuver into my space.”
“Once, a mum with a large buggy even got off at my stop, allowing me to get off and then she got back on,” Karen shared. “The bus drivers here have sometimes told mothers with buggies that they will have to move if they are using my space. There is a sign on the bus stating that wheelchair users have priority over prams and buggies.”
Image credits: Arlington County / Flickr (not the actual photo)
Many buses and drivers could do more to make transit accessible for those with disabilities
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, all buses must have a designated priority seating area for those with disabilities, and those in wheelchairs will be able to strap themselves into these spots to ensure they don’t move around during the journey. In fact, bus drivers might also ask ambulatory passengers who were on board already to relocate if they’re occupying priority seats.
But just because buses are required to provide access for disabled riders doesn’t mean that the system is perfect. According to City Limits, many passengers in New York City don’t feel comfortable riding buses due to the burden of struggling to get on or dealing with drivers who don’t know what they’re doing.
“All of the other passengers [on the bus] besides me, but including me, as well as the passengers who are waiting on different stops…they’re all impacted when it takes the bus driver 15 minutes to get me on,” one Brooklyn resident says. “Until they solve this problem, the buses are going to continue to be slow.”
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you have experience riding on public transit as a person with mobility issues? Feel free to share, and then be sure to check out another Bored Panda article discussing similar issues right here!
Readers shared their thoughts on the story and called out the mother for her bad behavior
Some even had similarly frustrating stories of their own to share
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The comment that says ESH is beyond my comprehension. Not only the fact that the place is meant for the disabled, the disabled person was there first. I wonder, what if there was another stroller in that place? Would the entitled lady have asked the other stroller to be moved?
Came here to say this. That ESH a-hole needs to check theirself.
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What kind of psychopaths voted that they'd refuse to move for a disabled person? WTF is wrong with you???
On the buses here, the spots are prioritised for wheelchairs over anything else. It is explicitly stated that if you have a pushchair, and a wheelchair user embarks, the wheelchair takes priority and the pushchair is to be folded out of the way. The driver can also refuse to take a pushchair if the space is occupied by a wheelchair. I thought that was pretty common.
In theory (and in law) it's the same here too. But in practice, it's not enforced. I've been left clinging onto a pole for dear life because an entitled parent couldn't be bothered to fold a pushchair that her crotch goblin wasn't even occupying at the time. She got a lot of dirty looks from other passengers, but no one said anything at all, and the driver didn't seem to have an issue that my wheelchair was completely blocking the aisle.
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Another fail on the "poll" question. I have a disability, but with more mobility than others. If someone's really in need and there are no other options, I'll move. If some mobile individual is taking up space, they can GTFO and leave room for the one in need.
Poll questions are often worse AH than the people in the posts The article makes a point of saying 1 in 6 people has a disability and then the poll assumes the readers don't. Truly lazy BP, take an article condemning ableism just to put a new example of ableism on display yourselves.
I have a disability but can walk and fold my kids stroller up just fine so there's zero chance I would have asked a disabled person to move. Hell, if it was another mum with their kid Parker there I still wouldn't. Apart from the fact that those seats are a priority for someone in a wheelchair it's first come first serve (but if I was there with a pram and a disabled person came in I would move the kid to a seat and fold the pram since I'm a decent human)
Honestly I have been constantly asked to get out of the disabled space so people can use it for pushchairs. As a paraplegic that is totally impossible. I quite often say well if you want to carry me to a seat go ahead but a. My chair does not fold and b. I'd probably break someone's back if I did. It got to the point of being so bad that I often had to miss bus after bus due to empty pushchairs or those that can't be bothered to fold their pushchair up and hold their little ones. I'd leave the hours 2 hours early to do what is supposed to 25 minute journey and still end up late and I only get two short bus rides. After years of struggling I had to go into the bus station customer service. Whilst doing what I needed to I simply told her this has been happening for years. Legally a passenger in a wheelchair has reserved access the space unless another chair is on. Drivers are suppose to make sure a wheelchair can use the space designated for them. It surprisingly worked
In Germany The places for strollers and Wheelchairs is usually in the middle of the bus on the drivers side (may vary depending on the manufacturer of the bus). It´s usually large enough for 2 to 3 strollers/wheelchairs. The amount of parents I see every day at bus stops walking to the middle door, clearly seeing that the space is already full but still looking/trying to squeeze in somehow is astonishing.
I'm not a fan of the pram stereotyping here. I often folded my pram up and carried my baby, especially if it was going the be a full bus or there was a wheelchair or another pram waiting. Busses where I live can take two prams or wheelchairs.
Same. Or if I was going somewhere a pram would be a nuisance I'd just use a sling - and I have a disability and a naffed back - can't have helped me in the long term but saved so much hassle
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They tried to pass a rule locally that you had to fold up your stroller when you got on the bus. But the worst offenders, the ones with the Cadillac-sized strollers, would pile so much c**p on them that they needed an extra seat for all of it, and it took forever to load and unload, so they dropped the rule.
Our busses here havefold-up seats with locking spots for wheelchair users that lock the wheels in place. If someone with a wheelchair comes on, anybody in those spaces, strollers or whatever, HAVE to move. The bus driver will remove you if they have to, because the driver is the one who engages the locks.
For those who are not from America. If you are seated in the area the wheelchairs are tied down, the bus driver will tell you to find another seat. Those seats flip up, so the wheelchair fits in and gets buckled down. I have never in my life seen anyone act like this but I also don't take mass transit anymore (around here it's just not safe or healthy) too many methods heads
As a wheelchair user I find able bodied people view about how disabled people do and don't move and can get about is nut. Yes there are laws saying it must be disability friendly, but its designed by able body people. So no we won't move for you because this is probably the only spot here that is safe for me in my chair
I have a mild disability, schizophrenia and tired feet. If I sit in the front and there’s a needful person there to use my seat, I gladly give it up. If there are ppl dumb enough sitting there in front seats, I’ll scream at them for free instead of the canned message “Please get in the rear of the bus!”
I carried my son, or used a umbrella stroller easy to fold, I have a bad back, etc. Not saying this mom is entitled but I have a bad back that hurts me, but don't take the disability route, I had a sister with a head injury and before the hateful disability people that hurts her to walk , it hurts alot more not to walk. I understand what the mom was saying, the person was in a wheelchair that could walk with it, what is the difference having your hands full with more than 2 kids and stroller that is difficult to fold. By the way ,passengers on the bus are suppose to give up their seats to disable, elderly, and kids are supposed to be seated on the bus. I had so many times where my son and i had to stand, This a big no no, only a few times did the driver tell people you need move. Parents with kids get the seats first. I do understand what the mom was saying, She had her hands full why ,not help instead of criticizing her. Many of you sound like you let the kids stand again that is a big no no
The point is she went to the person in the disability space and demanded they fold their chair and move to a seat. Being able to move your legs is not the same as being able to stand or walk. This person said they have very limited walking mobility. This woman should have folded her pram and taken a seat. The issue was not lack of seats. It was lack of room for her pram.
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The female expert in the middle of that article is, literally, called Karen and yet you still don't have the grace to be embarrassed about using it as an insult...
While I largely agree with OPs side I do admit her laughing might have made the situation worse. It might have been better for her to explain the nature of her disability rather than simply laugh. I've got family with disabilities and we've discovered that this helps avoid some conflicts. A few don't believe us, but others walk away more educated, and more compassionate about such issues in the future.
So you think she should have had to bare her medical history to an entitled stranger? Bit invasive, don't you think?
Load More Replies... First off I do not agree with what the Mother did and said. I totally agree it was way out of line. However I'm left with the question of what age her twins were. If they were walking age or not. It would be physically impossible to carry a stroller and twins at the same time down a bus isle let alone add in the diaper bag. (And sadly there are people out there who do fake things to take advantage of the system. Those jerks make it harder on those who have legitimate disabilities like OP) so I can understand the Moms frustration a little (her reaction was still out of line). I wish buses would have a spot near the back where you could store your folded up stroller. (Some seat belts where you could buckle in a carseat or buckle in a child would also be nice). I do find it disturbing that threads like these about legitimately jerk like parents become an excuse to hate on all Mothers and children. (I assure you not all of us are like that). In some cases you're actually dealing with a stressed, exhausted, overwraught parent at the end of thier rope. As the Mom in this case did not understand OPs situation. Often people refuse to acknowledge or understand what parents are going through. What I'm saying is you shouldn't judge someone when you don't know thier side of the story. Some are jerks, and some are just dealing with alot at that moment.
That's when she should have asked someone sitting near the front to let her sit there and she could fold her pram. The answer was not to demand someone in a WHEELCHAIR...MOVE...for her STROLLER to sit there. She had very valid options here. None of them are what she took. She decided to pick on the disabled person present and demand the little room designated for them. This is something we deal with all the time—we are seen as easy targets. When in line with a cane you'd be shocked how many people look at me, look at the cane, and step in front of me.
Load More Replies... The comment that says ESH is beyond my comprehension. Not only the fact that the place is meant for the disabled, the disabled person was there first. I wonder, what if there was another stroller in that place? Would the entitled lady have asked the other stroller to be moved?
Came here to say this. That ESH a-hole needs to check theirself.
Load More Replies... What kind of psychopaths voted that they'd refuse to move for a disabled person? WTF is wrong with you???
On the buses here, the spots are prioritised for wheelchairs over anything else. It is explicitly stated that if you have a pushchair, and a wheelchair user embarks, the wheelchair takes priority and the pushchair is to be folded out of the way. The driver can also refuse to take a pushchair if the space is occupied by a wheelchair. I thought that was pretty common.
In theory (and in law) it's the same here too. But in practice, it's not enforced. I've been left clinging onto a pole for dear life because an entitled parent couldn't be bothered to fold a pushchair that her crotch goblin wasn't even occupying at the time. She got a lot of dirty looks from other passengers, but no one said anything at all, and the driver didn't seem to have an issue that my wheelchair was completely blocking the aisle.
Load More Replies... Another fail on the "poll" question. I have a disability, but with more mobility than others. If someone's really in need and there are no other options, I'll move. If some mobile individual is taking up space, they can GTFO and leave room for the one in need.
Poll questions are often worse AH than the people in the posts The article makes a point of saying 1 in 6 people has a disability and then the poll assumes the readers don't. Truly lazy BP, take an article condemning ableism just to put a new example of ableism on display yourselves.
I have a disability but can walk and fold my kids stroller up just fine so there's zero chance I would have asked a disabled person to move. Hell, if it was another mum with their kid Parker there I still wouldn't. Apart from the fact that those seats are a priority for someone in a wheelchair it's first come first serve (but if I was there with a pram and a disabled person came in I would move the kid to a seat and fold the pram since I'm a decent human)
Honestly I have been constantly asked to get out of the disabled space so people can use it for pushchairs. As a paraplegic that is totally impossible. I quite often say well if you want to carry me to a seat go ahead but a. My chair does not fold and b. I'd probably break someone's back if I did. It got to the point of being so bad that I often had to miss bus after bus due to empty pushchairs or those that can't be bothered to fold their pushchair up and hold their little ones. I'd leave the hours 2 hours early to do what is supposed to 25 minute journey and still end up late and I only get two short bus rides. After years of struggling I had to go into the bus station customer service. Whilst doing what I needed to I simply told her this has been happening for years. Legally a passenger in a wheelchair has reserved access the space unless another chair is on. Drivers are suppose to make sure a wheelchair can use the space designated for them. It surprisingly worked
In Germany The places for strollers and Wheelchairs is usually in the middle of the bus on the drivers side (may vary depending on the manufacturer of the bus). It´s usually large enough for 2 to 3 strollers/wheelchairs. The amount of parents I see every day at bus stops walking to the middle door, clearly seeing that the space is already full but still looking/trying to squeeze in somehow is astonishing.
I'm not a fan of the pram stereotyping here. I often folded my pram up and carried my baby, especially if it was going the be a full bus or there was a wheelchair or another pram waiting. Busses where I live can take two prams or wheelchairs.
Same. Or if I was going somewhere a pram would be a nuisance I'd just use a sling - and I have a disability and a naffed back - can't have helped me in the long term but saved so much hassle
Load More Replies... They tried to pass a rule locally that you had to fold up your stroller when you got on the bus. But the worst offenders, the ones with the Cadillac-sized strollers, would pile so much c**p on them that they needed an extra seat for all of it, and it took forever to load and unload, so they dropped the rule.
Our busses here havefold-up seats with locking spots for wheelchair users that lock the wheels in place. If someone with a wheelchair comes on, anybody in those spaces, strollers or whatever, HAVE to move. The bus driver will remove you if they have to, because the driver is the one who engages the locks.
For those who are not from America. If you are seated in the area the wheelchairs are tied down, the bus driver will tell you to find another seat. Those seats flip up, so the wheelchair fits in and gets buckled down. I have never in my life seen anyone act like this but I also don't take mass transit anymore (around here it's just not safe or healthy) too many methods heads
As a wheelchair user I find able bodied people view about how disabled people do and don't move and can get about is nut. Yes there are laws saying it must be disability friendly, but its designed by able body people. So no we won't move for you because this is probably the only spot here that is safe for me in my chair
I have a mild disability, schizophrenia and tired feet. If I sit in the front and there’s a needful person there to use my seat, I gladly give it up. If there are ppl dumb enough sitting there in front seats, I’ll scream at them for free instead of the canned message “Please get in the rear of the bus!”
I carried my son, or used a umbrella stroller easy to fold, I have a bad back, etc. Not saying this mom is entitled but I have a bad back that hurts me, but don't take the disability route, I had a sister with a head injury and before the hateful disability people that hurts her to walk , it hurts alot more not to walk. I understand what the mom was saying, the person was in a wheelchair that could walk with it, what is the difference having your hands full with more than 2 kids and stroller that is difficult to fold. By the way ,passengers on the bus are suppose to give up their seats to disable, elderly, and kids are supposed to be seated on the bus. I had so many times where my son and i had to stand, This a big no no, only a few times did the driver tell people you need move. Parents with kids get the seats first. I do understand what the mom was saying, She had her hands full why ,not help instead of criticizing her. Many of you sound like you let the kids stand again that is a big no no
The point is she went to the person in the disability space and demanded they fold their chair and move to a seat. Being able to move your legs is not the same as being able to stand or walk. This person said they have very limited walking mobility. This woman should have folded her pram and taken a seat. The issue was not lack of seats. It was lack of room for her pram.
Load More Replies... The female expert in the middle of that article is, literally, called Karen and yet you still don't have the grace to be embarrassed about using it as an insult...
While I largely agree with OPs side I do admit her laughing might have made the situation worse. It might have been better for her to explain the nature of her disability rather than simply laugh. I've got family with disabilities and we've discovered that this helps avoid some conflicts. A few don't believe us, but others walk away more educated, and more compassionate about such issues in the future.
So you think she should have had to bare her medical history to an entitled stranger? Bit invasive, don't you think?
Load More Replies... First off I do not agree with what the Mother did and said. I totally agree it was way out of line. However I'm left with the question of what age her twins were. If they were walking age or not. It would be physically impossible to carry a stroller and twins at the same time down a bus isle let alone add in the diaper bag. (And sadly there are people out there who do fake things to take advantage of the system. Those jerks make it harder on those who have legitimate disabilities like OP) so I can understand the Moms frustration a little (her reaction was still out of line). I wish buses would have a spot near the back where you could store your folded up stroller. (Some seat belts where you could buckle in a carseat or buckle in a child would also be nice). I do find it disturbing that threads like these about legitimately jerk like parents become an excuse to hate on all Mothers and children. (I assure you not all of us are like that). In some cases you're actually dealing with a stressed, exhausted, overwraught parent at the end of thier rope. As the Mom in this case did not understand OPs situation. Often people refuse to acknowledge or understand what parents are going through. What I'm saying is you shouldn't judge someone when you don't know thier side of the story. Some are jerks, and some are just dealing with alot at that moment.
That's when she should have asked someone sitting near the front to let her sit there and she could fold her pram. The answer was not to demand someone in a WHEELCHAIR...MOVE...for her STROLLER to sit there. She had very valid options here. None of them are what she took. She decided to pick on the disabled person present and demand the little room designated for them. This is something we deal with all the time—we are seen as easy targets. When in line with a cane you'd be shocked how many people look at me, look at the cane, and step in front of me.
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