My social life as a wheelchair user

作为轮椅用户的社交生活

The Documentary Podcast

2026-05-02

24 分钟
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单集简介 ...

Imagine being dressed up for a night out with friends and being thrown out of a bar because your wheelchair is considered a fire hazard. When 18-year-old Maddie Haining was ordered to leave a nightclub in the UK it prompted a wider discussion about disability and accessibility in different countries around the world. Four wheelchair users - Maddie in the UK, Brian Muchiri in Kenya, Nadia Leila Carelse South Africa and Haleigh Rosa in the US - share some of the obstacles they have encountered when trying to socialise. Their experiences range from drunks in bars grabbing their wheelchairs to people praying for them in public. Even a simple visit to the toilet can become a problem. “I’ve encountered issues, even in a restaurant that’s accessible, where the wheelchair accessible bathroom has been used as storage,” says Haleigh Rosa, from Florida, USA.
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  • Hello, I'm James Reynolds.

  • Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.

  • In BBC Conversations, we bring people together to share their experiences.

  • This time, we get a glimpse of what it's like to socialise when you're in a wheelchair.

  • Imagine how you 'd feel on an evening out with friends in a nightclub when,

  • after only five minutes, you 're asked in front of everyone there to leave.

  • This happened to 18-year-old Maddy recently in Manchester, here in the UK.

  • Her experience was captured on social media.

  • The club, which has since apologised, initially said it was because her wheelchair was a safety hazard.

  • It's all prompted a larger conversation about disability and accessibility.

  • We decided to hear then from four wheelchair users across the world about their experiences when out socialising.

  • We have Brian Muchiri in Kenya's Rift Valley, Nadia Leila Karelsi in Johannesburg, South Africa,

  • Hayley Rosa is in Florida in the US, plus Maddy herself in the UK,

  • and she began by explaining how she felt when she was thrown out of the club.

  • People can be quite nosy and when something's going on, everybody has a look over and tries to find out what's going on.