Woman in wheelchair calls for change after staff from Hindley Street venue Jive were ‘too busy’ to help her on to the dancefloor

A young woman in a wheelchair says Adelaide’s club venues are leaving people with disabilities behind after she was told staff were “too busy” to help her out.

A young quadriplegic Adelaide woman has called for better accessibility in CBD venues after being told her wheelchair posed an “occupational hazard” on a popular club dance floor.

Cody Gray, 24, says friends were forced to carry her 200kg powered wheelchair down a step at iconic Hindley Street venue Jive, after a staff member said they were “too busy” to set up an access ramp.

The 24-year-old was out with a group of friends on June 25 and arrived at the venue around midnight, where she asked for a portable ramp to get inside.

“We went in through the side and then the bartender took the ramp away and left … the only place I could really go was between the bar and the back door,” Ms Gray said.

She said when she asked for the ramp to be set up again to get down on to the dance floor with her friends, the bartender refused.

“(The bartender) said she couldn’t be ‘setting it up and packing it away all night’, and said she was too busy to help us,” Ms Gray said.

“I spoke to the bouncer and he said it was an occupational health and safety hazard to have the ramp out and have me on the dance floor.

“Luckily, a group of friends lifted me down the step and then waited until I had to leave at around 4am and lifted me back up.”

Cody Gray, 24, is calling for change at Adelaide's hospitality venues. Picture: Supplied

Jive owner Tam Boakes said the portable ramp had been purchased to allow venue-goers with disabilities to view live music gigs and this was the first time a patron had asked to use it access the dance floor.

For the past 20 years, Jive has hosted some of Adelaide’s most iconic bands as a dedicated fit-for-purpose live music venue.

“I bought the ramp off my own back. We are a live music venue so we want to make sure people could see the gigs when they come,” Ms Boakes said.

She said staff had offered to give Ms Gray the ramp to access the dance floor, but told them it could not remain there throughout the night.

“Unfortunately we can’t leave (the ramp) there or it becomes unsafe for the other patrons,” Ms Boakes said.

Ms Boakes said she empathised with the difficulties of living with a disability and purchased the portable ramp when her own brother was in a wheelchair.

Jive owner Tam Boakes said she was constrained by the 100-year-old building, but wanted to make sure people with disabilities could enjoy live music at the venue. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

She said constraints of the leased building meant there was little else that could be done to improve accessibility.

“I wish it was my building, but it was built 100 years ago before these things were a consideration,” Ms Boaks said.

The federal Disability Discrimination Act makes it against the law for public places, including cafes, restaurants and pubs, to be inaccessible to people with a disability.

However, exceptions may be made where improving access would cause major difficulties or excessive costs to a person or organisation.

While new buildings and major renovations must comply with accessibility requirements under the Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2010, existing buildings may also be exempt where upgrades may cause unjustifiable hardship.

Australian Hotels Association SA president Ian Horne said Ms Gray’s experience highlighted that many of Adelaide’s older venues, while complaint, may still pose accessibility issues.

“The challenge is that many venues across the CBD haven’t had renovations and are very old buildings,” Mr Horne said.

“While I have no doubt they comply, it’s a timely reminder for all of us just to revisit what the expectation from the community is.”

‘Fun night out’ should be for all

Ms Gray was left with quadriplegia after severing her spinal cord in a snow skiing accident in July 2014, when she was 16 years old.

The 24-year-old, who has been vocal about her journey on social media, said accessibility issues were often overlooked in the hospitality industry – particularly for young people living with disabilities.

“There’s rarely accessibility for power wheelchairs in particular within the hospitality and night-life industry,” Ms Gray said.

“There are quite a lot of places you go where they say they have accessibility but there’ll be a step to get to the bathrooms, or there are people who refuse to help you.

“It sucks when you’ve been somewhere during the day and all your friends want to go out, but you have to be like, ‘Oh sorry guys it’s actually downstairs, I can’t do that’.”

Ms Gray became quadriplegic in 2014, and says hospitality venues are leaving young people with disabilities behind. Picture: Supplied

Commissioner for Equal Opportunity Jodeen Carney urged anyone with an experience such as Ms Gray’s to lodge a complaint with her office or the venue through the commission’s disability-access reporting tool.

“While there are few complaints involving nightclubs or hospitality venues, young people with a disability should not face discrimination when they simply want to have a fun night out,” Ms Carney said.

“The fact that disability remains the most common source of complaint to my office remains a tremendous source of frustration.”