![CHANGE NEEDED: Bendigo's Alex Reimers says the lack of accessible venues for people with mobility issues is demoralising and makes her feel like she is not wanted or worthy. Picture: NONI HYETT CHANGE NEEDED: Bendigo's Alex Reimers says the lack of accessible venues for people with mobility issues is demoralising and makes her feel like she is not wanted or worthy. Picture: NONI HYETT](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/WVXbUp8wXAYTAf74QbhPRe/0a0c0885-b508-4b6a-8a70-0ffb82ce4584.jpg/r0_0_4256_2828_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A Bendigo woman is advocating for change after a night out left her feeling like a “second-rate citizen”.
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Alex Reimers was looking forward to an evening of dancing in the “big smoke” when she booked tickets to see Diplo at Melbourne’s Festival Hall in March.
The 21-year-old had been a fan of the DJ for about four years and this was to be her first time seeing him perform. “I was really excited, I thought it was set to be a super fun night with lots of dancing,” she said.
It turned out to be an evening that left her fighting back tears after staff at the venue were what she described as “nothing short of rude, unreliable and discriminatory”.
Miss Reimers has cerebral palsy and uses an electric wheelchair for mobility. She paid close to $1400 for her night out, needing not only to call the venue to make sure the event was accessible, but also arrange for a carer and an accessible hotel room.
“Unfortunately, the night did not unfold anything like I had expected,” she said. “Festival Hall and their staff were nothing short of rude, unreliable and discriminatory and I couldn’t tell you what the DJ or the stage looked like as I did not see it.”
A spokesperson for Festival Hall said they had received correspondence from Miss Reimers’ carer about the event, in which “there was no allegation of disrespect from our staff, she is of the belief that certain members of our staff were unhelpful”.
Miss Reimers said upon entry, she and her carer were escorted by a security guard into the venue and “parked beside the bins, a smelly place with no view of the stage”. “He said he would be back in two minutes as he had to set up a portable ramp for accessibility, he never returned,” she said.
Two hours later and Miss Reimers said the security guard still had not returned.
“I was on the brink of tears - I couldn’t see, I couldn’t dance and the bin smell was only getting more ripe as the night went on,” she said. “I needed to leave, but how? The place was packed.”
It then became a process for Miss Reimers and her carer to find help to allow them to navigate through the busy crowd and leave Festival Hall. After talking to three different staff members, Miss Reimers said they were unable to find help from the security guards.
I shouldn’t have to feel like a second-rate citizen because I use a mobility device
- Alex Reimers
“We had no choice, my carer and I had to try to forge a path through the intimidatingly crowded venue,” she said. “We were humiliated as we were pushed, shoved and ignored trying to make our way through the never-ending drink line towards the only accessible entry/exit.”
The spokesperson for Festival Hall said as Miss Reimers’ carer “was unable to assist us with a helpful description of these staff members” only one staff member was located who said he was approached by the pair and was unable to help as he could not leave his position.
The spokesperson also said Miss Reimers and her carer were not specifically placed next to a rubbish bin, “although there would have been one in this vicinity”.
“The area is not cordoned off and Ms Reimers was free to move if she wished to,” they said.
Once at the exit, Miss Reimers said staff were rude and both she and her carer left holding back tears from the stress, exhaustion and humiliation of the situation.
“If a society is judged by how it looks after its most vulnerable, then let a venue be judged the same way – Festival Hall, you failed!” she said.
“We wrote to Festival Hall and explained the situation and asked for a refund. We received a response, in which they took a small level of responsibility.”
When asked if the venue had fulfilled its obligations to Miss Reimers in providing accessible tickets, the spokesperson said they didn’t believe that was the issue.
![Alex Reimers says she shouldn’t have to feel like a second-rate citizen because she uses a mobility device. Picture: NONI HYETT Alex Reimers says she shouldn’t have to feel like a second-rate citizen because she uses a mobility device. Picture: NONI HYETT](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/WVXbUp8wXAYTAf74QbhPRe/81572a49-9454-4e1d-a58c-a244f0f3cc6b.jpg/r0_0_4256_2828_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
“Ms Reimers has not had any issues entering the venue into an area in which the general public has purchased tickets for, rather it’s an issue of if Ms Reimers was happy with her tickets,” the spokesperson said.
The venue provides reserved seats and an elevated platform for patrons with disabilities at standard concerts.
“For ‘dance party’ mode events, such as the Diplo event, we do not have this platform as our previous experience is that patrons attending these style of events want to be with the general public on the floor,” the spokesperson said.
Miss Reimers was told Festival Hall would refund her ticket on the same day the Bendigo Advertiser received a response to its inquiry. She said that even though Festival Hall had said changes had been made, she was still very disappointed it even happened in the first place. “I shouldn’t have to feel like a second-rate citizen because I use a mobility device,” she said.
The Bendigo resident said the challenges she faced were not exclusive to Festival Hall and even occurred in her home city. “There are quite a lot of shops, venues and restaurants that I struggle with accessing particularly where there is one step at the entrance - meaning I can't get in.” She also said it could be difficult to find venues with enough space for her to sit around the table or accessible toilets.
Miss Reimers is sharing her story in the hope that she can bring about change in the wider community and prevent what happened to her happening to anyone else. “The lack of accessible venues, restaurants, shops, cafes and options for participating easily in community events for people with mobility issues is demoralising and makes me feel like I am not wanted or worthy, when I am.”