Priority Seats

Post Reply New Topic

AS nearly always comes with sensory issues, and two possible sensory issues are vestibular and proprioception, which can have an impact on standing up for an entire bus trip.

So it's not entirely true that AS has nothing to do with that, although I suspect that it would be harder to justify for many (I know it is for me). I certainly wouldn't want to take a seat that someone else needs more (using mobility aids such as walkers or wheelchairs for example, or who are in a lot of pain).

Edited my post. My point is, asking whether someone with AS should get the seats is like asking if someone with a blue shirt should get the seats. It's not relevant, and doesn't tell anything either way. AS doesn't require problems standing on a bus.

Curse me and my tendency to get hung up on specifics.

Thanks.

I have very few sensory issues and I don't think they are super likely to be present on transit. I have minor ones with feeling of certain clothes, moderate ones with taste and none with sound except the sound of the neighbour's dog barking (which is severe). I don't have any with light at all. In regards to smells, I have them but they are typically smells that NTs wouldn't find pleasant. I just have an exaggerated reaction.

It's hard because everyone with AS is affected differently. And people can't tell if you have AS. But if someone is really struggling on public transport they should be allowed to take it. But I don't think it needs to be enforced. A lot of people don't even leave those spots for the elderly or disabled people, so it will make little difference if someone with AS is included in the disabled seating category.

I don't think that generically having a disability is enough, though I wouldn't limit it strictly to having physical disability, either. I.e. someone could have problems with balance & vertigo, but otherwise be physically fine. And, so on.

I see it is as being at the discretion of common sense & decency. If there's a reason beyond being disabled in an unspecified way, then I say that's fine. And, if someone else needs it more, then let them have it.

Of course, working out who needs it, or needs it more, may be difficult/treacherous to work out in real-time.

As far as the spectrum... trying to think up some scenarios...

1) for those with major tactile issues: maybe the bus is crowded and the only way to sit without bumping shoulders (and bare skin -- say, it's a hot day), is in one of the handicapped seats

2) have a hard time determining when to get off the bus, and so need to be in a seat where one can see out the front

3) maybe it's hot and the windows are down, and that's letting a lot of exhaust smell into the back

4) someone in a nearby seat has overpowering perfume on

5) different vibrations in different seats

Those seem legitimate to me, though I can imagine them not being believed by other passengers. So, that could be difficult.

It just occurred to me, about having trouble knowing when to get off -- what do blind people do? Does the driver let them know? (Another reason to sit up front.)

I wouldn't want to say a difinity yes or no. I have anxiety and tbh, won't ride the bus because I'm so close to other people - I cannot stand sitting inbetween two people on a bus or standing right up against another person. I'm very uncomfortable with physical contact with people close to me, let alone a bunch of people I do not know. That said, while I'd be unlikely to utilize these seats - and would 'tough it out' or walk, I can see someone having the same issues as I do with more severity needing these seats. I know in crowded rooms being close to the door puts me at ease. The same can be said about a bus, I guess.

When the time comes for communities to replace the signs, they should probably replace "disabilities" with "mobility problems." People who are less mobile, who have a harder time navigating a bus or train car, should get those seats.

I sit in the Priority seats at the front all the time. BTW I am a daily bus rider.
For some reason, I feel more secure in those spots. Plus, most of the bus drivers in my town are fairly sociable with their passengers, and therefore I sometimes like to engage in some chit-chat with them

HOWEVER, if an elderly person with significant mobility issues or a person in a wheelchair came on, I do not hesitate to move/fold up the seats if necessary. After all, they are what the "Priority Seats/Spaces" are intended for

I sit in the Priority seats at the front all the time. BTW I am a daily bus rider.
For some reason, I feel more secure in those spots. Plus, most of the bus drivers in my town are fairly sociable with their passengers, and therefore I sometimes like to engage in some chit-chat with them

HOWEVER, if an elderly person with significant mobility issues or a person in a wheelchair came on, I do not hesitate to move/fold up the seats if necessary. After all, they are what the "Priority Seats/Spaces" are intended for

To me the issue isn't about specific diagnosis. It's about whether a person has any impairment for any reason that means they would need those seats. Mobility impairments aren't the only ones that could cause a person to need the seats. A person should also not have to explain the exact reason they need the seats. If someone questions the fact that they are disabled, simply saying "I have an invisible disability" (okay I hate that terminology for various reasons, but it would work here) is enough, there's no reason to disclose what it is or how it affects you, that's private information and none of anyone's business.

It will be a lot diffucult to ask someone to move
out of the priority seat if you have autism than
someone with a physical disabilty. to sit
in the priority seat if the bus or train is empty or
nearly empty i don't think will be a problem as
i think there is a sign and a seat is kept available there in case the bus/train is full
and the person with a disabilty can have a seat. It is probably
a sad indictement of society that the passenger have to be asked to
be considerate.