Public transport and voice issues

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by adrian patton on July 9, 2011 at 21:09

i've had this. people sometimes shout if you say you have a voice problem. there must be a psychological reason for this. are you coming back to leeds?

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Permalink Reply by Terence McDermott on July 27, 2011 at 0:52

Hi Becky

 

I am really sorry to hear about your experience.  My voice is reasonably strong for someone with a voice problem - my problem is more pain and voice fatigue - but after larynx surgery (last one a week and a bit ago), I have to go on 100% voice rest.

During these periods, it really makes me empathise with your position.  I had my last surgery in Belgium (long story - can't do the waiting lists on the NHS due to work commitments). Even for someone like me who is quite an extrovert and enjoys attention, I had to pluck up courage to get out my card (in French) saying "I have just had throat surgery and need to communicate with you in writing."

Here are some suggestions on how to cope (would be great to hear from others on what they think):

1.  Type, print and laminate a few cards saying:  "I have a throat problem.  I cannot speak.  I will speak to you by writing.  I am not deaf and can hear what you are saying".   Try to keep it as simple as possible. Once they've got it,  communicate using an erasable whiteboard or notepad and/or typical things you want to say. 

 

Sign language is also possible but on its own, my experience (admittedly brief) is people do not always get it especially if you are trying to communicate anything beyond the simplest of things.

 

2. If you lack courage or start to get embarassed when speaking to the person, remember you are not alone and this is not your fault.  Remember this forum and how many people there are out there with voice problems.  You are not the only one.

 

3. Again if you lack courage, remember any lack of understanding on the part of the person you are speaking to is because a. they are surprised and just need to compute for a second (most people I would say); or b. they are a bit slow on the uptake (again, even the simple minded may just need a bit more time to compute); or c. they are embarassed (some people simply cannot cope with anything out of the ordinary - again, much more their issue than yours - so carry on if you can); or d. some people are just really, really stupid and/or rude (in this case I'd count my lucky stars that I may have a voice problem but at least I have a brain and reasonable manners).   

 

To me, the bus driver sounds like a c. or a d.

 

3. Please write to the Customer Services Department of the org in question.  Briefly explain what happened (when, who, what, where). I will write a model letter for situations like this in due course. 

 

If the company/org in question is a public body, they have an ACTIVE DUTY under the Equalities Act 2010 to promote equality.  Voice problems are often disabilities and therefore the org is failing to meet this duty and we can make a complaint to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission about them if their reply falls short.  A private company also has a duty not to discriminate and again the driver in this case sounds like he/she was being discriminatory - again a contravention of the Equalities Act 2010.  

 

Happy to send an email on your behalf if you give me the details of time/date/no. of bus. 

 

4.  Voice problems are low profile (doing point 3 above will help with this bit by bit) and The Lary Project is planning a campaign called Resonate which we hope will start to raise awareness of voice problems and the things we need the wider world to be aware of in terms of how voice problems affect sufferers and what can be done to help us. 

 

In time we will live in a world which recognises voice problems more widely.  Keep the faith!  Things can only get better!

 

Hope this helps.  Best wishes, Terry

 

 Ps. the deaf thing is quite bizarre.  Good friends and family have been known to speak to me post surgery as if I am deaf.  After a few moments it clicks but I think humans must associate voice and hearing in some subconscious way because how else can this bizarre behaviour be explained?  Again, I think a card which says, "I am not deaf, I can hear you" is worthwhile because this is a very common issue.  

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Janet Taplin on July 30, 2011 at 9:48

Hi, I used signs and notes for a few months when I was unable to speak after nerve damage. I found rather than people thinking I was deaf they would assume that I could not speak English, especially if the notes were pre written. Perhaps the driver wrongly assumed that you would not be able to understand what he said which is why he pointed to the sign.

You have every right to communicate and be understood, I know it can be hard but try not to feel intimidated or upset by this set back.

If you feel that getting on the bus to go to appointments is daunting, \Have you tried asking a friend to travel with you? 

 

Janet

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Permalink Reply by Hazel on August 1, 2011 at 16:32

Hi

really sorry to hear about your experience. My voice is usually  at it's worst in the mornings and I have to get the bus, interestingly though one of the bus companies here has got printable cards on it's website including one for voice, I use this and because it's from the bus company themselves, the drivers are used to people having a card, so it wasn't quite so embarassing when I first  used it and it has made things so much easier for me. I'm now trying to get the other local bus company to adopt the idea too. Here is the link if you would like to have a look.

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/devon_cornwall/bus_access/safe_jour...

Also when my voice is at it's worst I am either treated like I am deaf or even more often as if I have a learning disability, all very upsetting. The good news is, 6 months after asking for it, I've got text to speech software on my work computer for days  when my voice is really bad. I still feel a bit embarassed using it a work [at home I don't mind so much] but it's better than not being able to communicate.

As Terry says, you are not alone and this is a great safe place to have those occassional rants

Take care of yourself

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Permalink Reply by adrian patton on August 1, 2011 at 22:38

i was on the bus on monday and just as i was asking for my ticket somebody was shouting really loudly into a mobile phone behind me which threw my speech and of course you have to shout through a glass partition now as well, the driver normally has the window open and gets distracted by passing traffic so he can't hear what people are saying, voice hell! ...maybe we should have a voice heaven and voice hell section on this forum.

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Permalink Reply by Becky Doggett on August 5, 2011 at 20:39

Thank you all for your replies, it's so nice to have advice and hear experiences from others who face similar issues! It's all well and good speaking to my family or friends, but they don't know how it really feels, so it's difficult for them to help.

 

Terence, having thought about what you have said, I think I would quite like to complain, or at least write them a letter/email to explain what happened so they can prevent similar issues happening in the future. If you would be able to help me with this I would be extremely grateful, although I am happy to do this myself if it would be easier. I know it's been  month since the incident happened, but I think this should be highlighted and dealt with. I'm not really to confident myself which is why I hadn't done anything towards this previously, but I feel that I should do.

 

Janet - that's a very good point, I hadn't really thought about it like that. I guess my view-point on it is I want to use the bus, and in my eyes the process of using a bus works like: you go to the bus stop, get on the bus, ask for the place you want to go to, bus driver tells you how much, you pay, and sit down. In my mind, if I wasn't capable of completing these steps, then I wouldn't try to get on a bus. I know that wouldn't be the way the rest of the world would see it, but that's how it works in my mind so if I wasn't able to hear how much it cost, then I wouldn't get the bus on my own. Most of the time my Mum takes me to my appointments (I am unable to drive because of my medication) so it is only when she is working that I have to get the bus alone. I don't really have any friends near-by that would be able to go, or take me if my Mum is unavailable, which is why I have to take the bus. The only problem with that is that I'm now scared to get the bus on my own because of this incident! Thank you for your view-point though, it has helped me think another view-point other than ignorance!!

 

Hazel - thank you so much for that website information. I had never heard of that or seen anything like it before, so I shall definitely be looking into it!! Thanks.

 

Adrian - I am planning on moving back to Leeds on the 1st September, I am coming up next week to go and view flats/houses with my Mum so hopefully this time next week I will know where I'm living and when I'm moving up there. I am very sorry to hear about your experience on the bus. I can completely understand how it must have made you feel and I hope that you have better experiences in the future. It doesn't really fill me of confidence for using buses in Leeds though!!

 

 

 

Again, thank you all for your responses, it means so much to me and I am glad that the subject matter has sparked some conversation :)

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Permalink Reply by adrian patton on August 5, 2011 at 23:24

sorry for that, it's not always like that! i also cycle and walk (and drive). good luck with your house search!

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Permalink Reply by Terence McDermott on August 8, 2011 at 21:55

Hi Becky

 

If you write up what happened including the number of the bus and the date and time, how you were made to feel as well as a few details about your voice problem and send it over to me, we can go from there. 

 

Very happy to help.  Bw, Terry

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Permalink Reply by adrian patton on August 14, 2011 at 18:15

how is your house search going?

the letter looks good. i think that in the past this situation would not have arisen because there were conductors, before maggie privatised the buses. really the drivers need training, and maybe that is something you could press for in the letter. people just think that talking is just 'something you do', whereas it is a physical process that can be disrupted by stress or injury or illness, just like any other process. 

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Permalink Reply by Becky Doggett on August 14, 2011 at 17:40

Terry, I have written up a rough letter, feel free to edit it or add bits to it, just let me know what you think. Thank you ever so much for your help, I really appreciate it. I appoligise if it's not the best quality letter!!

 

To whom it may concern

I write to you to inform you of an incident that happened on Monday 4^th July on the number 19 bus from the bus stop outside of Costessy Library, headed towards Norwich City Centre, at approximately 2pm.

I am currently suffering with a voice problem, which means I can only speak in a whisper. This is an on-going issue which started in November 2010 and will continue for the foreseeable future.

As I am sure you can understand, having a voice problem makes it quite difficult when communicating with people, such as bus drivers, as they cannot hear me very well, if at all. I have become very nervous when going out in public because of the many hurtful reactions I have had when trying to talk to people, and as a result I suffer from anxiety.

As my medication means I am unable to drive, I rely on my Mum to take me to my various medical appointments but on the occasions she is at work, I take the bus by myself. I prepare myself before travelling, by writing a very polite note, stating the type of ticket I want, and where I want to travel to. I have never had any problems while doing this and the bus drivers had always been very polite and understanding, and treated me just like any other passenger.

However, on this particular occasion, I was not treated as any other passenger. I had written my note, and when I got on the bus I showed it to the driver.  I was unsure how much the journey would cost, so I stood and waited to be told how much it would be, just like any other person would expect. However this did not happen. The driver red the note, and then looked away. I continued to stand there waiting for him to say something. He looked back at me, and then down, away from me again. At this point I started to panic, not knowing what was going on. He then looked back at me, and I got my change out of my pocket and started pointing to it. He saw me do this, but he still would not tell me the price of the journey. I tried to ask, but he could not hear me. This continued for a little while, with me trying to signal how much it would cost, and the driver ignoring me and refusing to speak to me. Eventually, he pointed to the machine the drivers use to input the ticket information and produce the ticket. He was pointing at it so that I could read the amount, again refusing to talk to me. As I tried to look at this machine he was pointing at, I hit my head on the plastic window separating driver and passenger. Eventually I managed to read the amount on the machine, although my face had to be pressed right up to the plastic in order to see it.

This incident left me feeling humiliated and extremely upset and anxious. I struggle enough travelling on my own, but to be treated like that on top of it made me feel ten times worse. I am now very scared of going on the bus in future and a month on, still feel very upset by the whole incident. The way I see it, there is a process when you travel by bus. You get on the bus, tell the driver where you want to go, the driver tells you the cost of the journey, you pay your money, take the ticket and sit down. While I appreciate this may not be the way everybody see’s things, I believe that if a person would not be able to complete this process, they should not travel alone by bus. I have a voice problem, but I am still perfectly capable of hearing, and I can lip read.

While I appreciate people react differently to situations, I would appreciate it if this incident was looked into, to ensure that no other person has to go through the upset and humiliation I suffered that day, and that steps are made to ensure public transport treats every passenger equally, no matter what problems or disability they may have.

 

Yours sincerely

 

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Permalink Reply by Terence McDermott on August 15, 2011 at 12:33

Hi Becky

 

Looks very good.  I will make a few additions/amendments.  Hope to get back to you by tomorrow. 

 

Bw, Terry

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Permalink Reply by Becky Doggett on August 14, 2011 at 21:06

Thanks Adrian! That's the main part I need help on really. I can (obviously) state what happened, when it happened, how it made me feel etc, but I wasn't so sure on the things to ask for or the actual point that is wrong with the whole situation. I know that might sound a bit strange but I don't really know about procedures or training that should be put in place to prevent such situation, or what would happen to someone who was simply ignorant towards me. Any recommendations on this side are very welcome!

 

I have sent you a message about the house side of things but its all looking good :)

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