"What is your disability?" said the man at the ticket office

I have liver and bone mets, and I receive DLA under Special Rules. Recently applied for, and received, a Disabled Adult Railcard.
Went to my small local station today to buy my ticket. I said “with a Disabled Railcard - it’s the first time I have used it” and I showed him my railcard.

He said “What’s your disability?”

I replied “I have cancer” and removed my wig (had had chemo which finished in Feb.)

I suppose he’s only doing what he had been told to do/say by his managers - and in all fairness, I have bought a ticket from him many times when I “only” had bone mets…

Can anyone reading this, who received DLA for secondary cancer, advise me what to do?

I’m sorry I can’t offer you any advice but am shocked and appalled that someone in a ticket office has the right to ask about private, personal details. Do you think he was being nosey or was he really checking your right to use the card?

hiya

sorry you have to complain about him

you have that railcard you don’t then need to justify anything to some ‘jobs worth’

I am fuming for you having read this

xxx

thats none of their business what your disability is… other wise it would be a cancer card, a blind card, a wheelchair card.

i had an experience not unlike that when i was going to my local maggies centre… on approaching the gate the voice on the intercom asked who i was so gave my name… and the voice then said why are you going to maggies!!!

like you i showed my bald head and said i was a patient, however maggies is for anybody affected by cancer not just current patients.

if it had been my first visit i may well have turned around and gone home… i did make a complaint to maggies about it and have never been asked again since.

i think if i were you if they ask what your disability is the next time why not ask why they need to know… as i cannot think of any valid reason they want that information.

Lxx

Hi
I suppose he was just doing his job but he was not very sensitive about it was he? Supposing you were in a queue and you didn’t want anyone else to know? If you’re asked again, wherever you use it, maybe you could say that you’ve already ‘proved’ you have a disability when you applied for it in the first place!
BTW I didn’t know you could get a disability rail card with the DLA.
Nicky

I am appalled at this and agree you should definitely right a letter. I doubt very much that they have any right to ask you. If he suspects its fraud then he should take appropriate measures such as making a note of your card number etc not put you in the position of feeling the need to justify your card and remove your wig.

If it turns out that they have the right to ask then I would be inclined to a get a short note from your hospital consultant stating your condition so you can show that rather than having to explain or take off your wig.

bw, Elinda x

Hello Mrs B, I hope you are well. I’m a mild mannered person but I’m blowed if I would have disclosed any of my personal details to the ticket man. If your ticket is valid and up to date, which it obviously was, that’s all he needs to check.
Take Care…x

Thanks folks, for your support and constructive comments.
Having slept on it and also told my husband about it this morning (he always insists on buying his ticket from this same man rather than the ticket machine, he (OH) thinks he’s helping to keep his (ticket issuer’s) job open!) I had thought about talking to my BCN, who is a secondary bc specialist… so thanks Elinda for your suggestion.

I have also emailed the contact address for the Disabled Railcard scheme, but being a Bank Hioliday weekend I will have to wait for reply.

I would still be interested in any response by others who receive DLA under Special Rules who do not look obviously disabled - have you had any similar problem at a rail station? Interesting that it was my first use of the card.

(PS. Grrr, there should be a “preview post” box on this site!)

sorry to hear about his comments. Some people are just so insensitive.
eva

its none of their bloody damm business why you have the card, as if have this shitty disease wasnt enouh to cope with!!!

sending hugs

Carolx

Think i would have flashed him my reconn boob, that may have shocked the jobsworth x

I am just waiting for some bright spark to say something to me when I am using my Blue Badge!

Susie
Outraged of South Cumbria

Surely it is a compliment that you do not look at all unwell enough to have a disability?

He is probably used to the very obvious disabilities, wheelchair etc). Unless you really thought he was being deliberately rude, not just curious/doing his job (remember that there are 100s of fare dodgers that rip the system of)), then I don’ think you should complain about him at all. Dropping some ticket man in the poo may make you feel better but has his life issues to deal with too.

I think your response was brilliant! Alternatively you could just tell him you have cancer or just tell him it is none of his business. Either way, with so many people abusing the system, if you do not look obviously disabled then why shouldn’t you be questioned?

I feel quite strongly about this and the fact you had evidence with you should be enough and it is totally out of order for you to be asked ‘what your disability is’.

It is personal and private to you and no one else. Maybe its ignorance, maybe its a training need for this individual but it not about ‘putting anyone in the poo’ I think its about letting his managers know that there is a gap and this individual needs this feedback - if only to stop him doing it again to someone who maybe isn’t as strong minded and has the ability to deal with it in the way you did. We all make mistakes but we need to learn from them.

Disability comes in many guises and there are a huge number of ‘hidden disabilities’ cancer being one of them and we need to be challanging the sterio typing of disability in that it means either someone in a wheelchair or someone who is visually impaired etc. We are in the 21st century after all and I feel strongly that we just don’t accept the ‘status quo’ and allow this type of ignorance to continue.

Hi,

I agree with Saffronseed on this. Individuals in this country are entitled to privacy and we go to great lengths to protect it. If you have an up to date card, which presumably has a form of ID, there is no need for anyone to question it.

Yes, fraud happens but all he had to do was check identity. As Saffronseed says, if he doesn’t know this, there’s a training need and his managers should know about it.

I hope you have better experiences of using the card in future.

Jan xxx

Hi,

Having recently helped my Brother, who has learning difficulties and epilepsy, to apply for a disability rail card I know that a certain amount of medical evidence has to be supplied on application. Therefore, surely when a person is granted the card that should be evidence enough when you go to buy your ticket.
My Brother does not ‘look’ disabled and I would be mortified if someone had the cheek to ask him what his disability is.
I do hope you have better experience in the future Mrsblue. This man sounds like a right little jobsworth!
Esme x

Just received this reply from disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk/

Quote:

I am sure they don’t have the right to ask you - apart from anything else surely that’s the whole point of the card? Otherwise why have one, you could just take off the wig! its also probably contrary to disability discrimination legislation to ask such a question.
SArah

That’s a pretty poor response - in my opinion. As for saying “as far as I am aware …” what a nonsense. There’s a reason for issuing a card and that reason is to stop making people with invisible disabilities have to publicly demean themselves in order to receive the benefit. However, if a person working in the section which handles disabled railcards is so utterly unaware of disability legislation, then the behaviour of the ticket office is no surprise.

I’m sure mrsblue is correct in presuming that the guy in the ticket office was just curious, but there’s a big difference between feeling curious and acting on it. There does seem to be an assumption that its acceptable to intrude into the details of a person’s life, whether you know them or not. Despite being an open person by nature, I am becoming more and more staggered by the utter rudeness and disregard for privacy exhibited by people. Anyone else remember good old fashioned courtesy?

A lack of funding is almost certainly the reason why railway staff aren’t properly educated with regard to disability legislation and whilst this ignorance will have to be addressed by training and implementation of procedures, basic old-fashioned good manners would have been sufficient to prevent this sort of thing happening not that long ago.

Sorry, grumpy old woman rant - now over!

Debs x

I´m sure you´re right Debs , nobody would ever have dreamt of asking such a personal question only a few years ago . Just shows how things have changed , and not for the better .
So many disabilities are hidden .CPOD (chronic obstructive pulmonary diesease ) can be so debilitating , yet is´nt always apparent to others .
As was said , I expect you looked just too well and healthy ,but how dare he question your right to obtain and use a disability railcard .
As if having cancer is´nt bad enough , we do like to pretend it´s never happened at times , not have to tell nosey little men !
Grumpy old woman ! Me ??!!