“About 1% of the population in the UK has RA – more than 400,000 people in the UK.” – National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Week is a week in which people come together to raise awareness around Rheumatoid Arthritis and to offer advice and support to people living with the condition.
“Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. The condition usually affects the hands, feet and wrists.”
– The National Health Service
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Rheumatoid Arthritis & The Access Card
Here at The Access Card, we support many cardholders to help them discreetly communicate the barriers they might face when out and about or visiting shows, events, or tourist destinations and have provided some more information about some of the typical access requirements we have processed.
Everyone is different and experiences their needs in different ways, but here are some examples based on our experience.
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Standing & Queuing
Whether you have difficulty with physically being in a queue for a significant period of time, difficulty with the concept of queuing, or have difficulty with being in a queue/ crowded spaces, the ‘Standing & Queuing’ symbol can be added to your Access Card to help communicate this access requirement.
Different providers have their own ways of accommodating this access requirement.
For example, Legoland Windsor Resort accepts Access Cards with the ‘Standing & Queuing’ symbol as proof for a Ride Access Pass.
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What is a Ride Access Pass?
“A Ride Access Pass is a virtual queuing system designed to make reasonable adjustments to assist guests who do not understand the concept of queuing, have a physical disability that prevents them standing for extended periods of time or permanently non-ambulant guests.”
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Distances
For people who would have significant difficulty with walking/ self-propelling a wheelchair for more than a short distance, we have the ‘distances’ symbol to communicate this access requirement with different providers.
Different providers have their own ways of accommodating this access requirement.
For example, For example, the Port Eliot Festival has a designated accessibility buggy to help you around the site.
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Essential Companion
For those that require a substantial amount of support from another person when out & about, we have the ‘+1’ symbol which indicates to providers that you would need a substantial amount of support to be able to access their facilities.
Different providers have different systems in place to facilitate this access requirement.
For example, Thorpe Park accepts Access Cards with the ‘+1’ symbol as proof for a free essential companion ticket.
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Thinking of applying for a Card?
If you think the above would be useful for you and would like to apply for your Access Card you can do so quickly and easily by completing our short online application form and uploading some supporting information confirming your needs.
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Further Sources of Information, Advice, and Support
Check out our full directory for how these symbols apply at over 1,000 venues in the UK and beyond.
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National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society
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“The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), is the only patient-led organisation in the UK specialising in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Due to its targeted focus on RA and JIA, NRAS provides truly expert and wide-ranging services to support, educate and campaign for people living with these complex autoimmune conditions, their families and the health professionals who treat them.”
National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society
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Email: enquiries@nras.org.uk
Web: https://nras.org.uk/
Tel: 0800 298 7650 (Helpline) / 01628 823 524 (Office)
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Versus Arthritis
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“We are Versus Arthritis. We’re the 10 million people living with arthritis. We’re the carers, researchers, healthcare professionals, friends, parents, runners and fundraisers all united in our ambition to ensure that one day, no one will have to live with the pain, fatigue and isolation that arthritis causes.”
Versus Arthritis
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Email: enquiries@arthritisresearchuk.org
Web: https://www.versusarthritis.org/
Tel: 0800 5200 520 (Helpline) / 0300 790 0400
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