Disabled man can't go to favourite aquarium anymore due to 'appalling' policy
A family attraction has been urged to reconsider an "appalling" policy that has left a young disabled man having to "choose between essential care and enjoying a day out".
John Griffiths accused Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, of disability discrimination after he was told that the firm's policy does not allow entry for his son's two carers using his season pass.
Thomas, 20, who has profound learning disabilities and complex medical needs, has held a membership for the venue for much of his life, and has previously attended weekly in winter. But Thomas has not been to the aquarium since June 2022, his father says, after the family were told only one carer could accompany Thomas on his membership.
Blue Planet has stuck to this stance despite the NHS assessing Thomas as requiring two-to-one care. The decision means Thomas would have to pay an extra £25.25 every time he visits the attraction on top of his £75.75 annual membership, or else stump up £606 for annual memberships in the names of each of his eight rotating carers.
John, 53, said: “I can’t understand how they don’t see this as discriminating against Tom. It means he can’t come.” Disability charity Scope branded the policy “appalling”, while Ellesmere Port and Neston's Labour MP Justin Madders called on Blue Planet to “reconsider their stance”.
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Thomas has not been to the aquarium since June 2022, his father says, after the family were told only one carer could accompany Thomas on his membership (Wikipedia)Cheshire Live reported that a spokesperson for Blue Planet Aquarium said: “Blue Planet Aquarium has always provided guests with health conditions or impairments a free of charge carer’s ticket upon proof of eligibility. We accept a wide range of forms of eligibility, including Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment letter, a letter from a GP or Consultant confirming the need for a full time carer, or a valid Access Card displaying the ‘essential companion symbol’. We admit a maximum of one free of charge carer per eligible paying guest, with additional carers requiring a valid ticket.”
When asked to explain why the policy caters for those who need one carer but not for those with severe disabilities which require two carers, Blue Planet Aquarium did not offer a response. Thomas, from Higher Kinnerton in Flintshire, north Wales, uses a powered wheelchair, cannot sit or stand, suffers complex epilepsy, and can have multiple seizures a day.
He is fed with a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube, cannot talk, is registered blind, and is only three months developmentally, according to his father. John said: “If you spent 30 seconds with Tom, you would know that he needs two carers.”
As Thomas left school, his care needs were reassessed by the NHS, with officials ruling he required two carers at all times, rather than the one-to-one care he had received up to that point. In the summer of 2022, Thomas’s grandparents took him to the aquarium after his membership was renewed in June for the first time since the Covid pandemic. But the family was told only one carer could accompany Thomas.
In correspondence between the firm and John from August 2022, Blue Planet said: “Unfortunately, it is our policy for only one carer to receive free admission with a service user. Thomas is more than welcome to bring two carers with him; however, we are only able to provide one free of charge.
“It may be more cost efficient for you to purchase an annual pass for Thomas that will automatically have a free carers admission included with every visit (which can be different carers each time), however; to purchase an annual pass for the second carer; it does need to be the same carer as the pass will require a name and photograph."
John then purchased an Access Card from the Nimbus charity, a scheme that won The Queen's Award Innovation category in February. Blue Planet Aquarium is listed on the Access Card website as a ‘Named and Famed’ attraction and ‘accredited provider’.
The card explains Thomas’s two-to-one care requirement, but Blue Planet still refused to allow two carers to accompany Thomas on his membership. John said that the firm held its stance when he came to renew the membership earlier this month. John added: “It’s definitely discrimination against him, there’s no two ways about it.
“He has to have two carers, that’s in his assessment by the NHS for his care, otherwise there’s no way they’d be paying for two carers. He can’t even go in with one, because he’s too big and one person can’t look after him. Particularly with the epilepsy, you literally can’t go for a wee. Somebody has to be with him 24 hours a day.”
Perhaps the only place Thomas has visited more than Blue Planet, John says, is Chester Zoo, where he has a lifetime membership. John continued: “There’s never been any problem there. With Chester Zoo, I had to take a letter to prove he had to have two carers, and I got a letter from the care team that said Tom has to have two-to-one care, and they said that was fine. But for some reason Blue Planet don’t want to hear it.” John added: “I understand their policy, but in certain cases with very poorly people, why would you make it harder for them?”
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Scope pointed out that the policy forced some disabled people to pay more for the attraction. Louise Rubin, head of policy and campaigns at Scope, said: “It’s appalling that disabled people are paying more to enjoy attractions like the aquarium. Disabled people should never have to choose between essential care and enjoying a day out.
“We know that life already costs more for disabled people. Scope research shows disabled people need £975 more per month than non-disabled people, just to enjoy the same standard of living. In this climate, it’s essential that businesses like Blue Planet Aquarium don’t price out their disabled customers. We urge Blue Planet Aquarium to listen to their disabled customers and remove these unfair extra costs."
Martin Austin, managing director of Access Card, said he would be contacting Blue Planet on this matter, adding said: “It’s difficult for a lot of venues to appreciate that ‘plus 2’ is a thing. The need for two companions is pretty rare, but it is a really significant need and most organisations infrastructures are not geared towards processing two companion tickets because it is rare. That is not a defence of the situation, and it’s unfortunate that it wasn’t recognised."
He added that the ‘named and famed’ label attached to Blue Planet and other venues was awarded when an Access Card user had reported a positive experience back to the firm. He conceded that the ‘accredited provider’ section on the website was “a little bit misleading”.
Mr Austin said: "With some providers, we’re really heavily involved in how their policy and process works, for instance Merlin Entertainments, Alton Towers, Chessington.
"Whereas, with organisations like Blue Planet, we only discover that they accept the card when a card holder has told us that they’ve had a good experience there, in which case we put them into ‘Named and Famed’, or where we see that the Access Card has been added to the list of evidence that they accept.
He added: "In this case it looks like Blue Planet have put the access card as an acceptable form of evidence alongside several other different things. We’re re-launching the website completely in the next couple of weeks, so that will absolutely change.”
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