I had the time of my life with Taylor Swift

I still can’t believe I get to say that! I went to my first live concert in a stadium! I also saw my favorite artist, who I grew up with, live. I wanted to break down the accessibility and logistics both good and bad, along with some epic photos, and to continue the discussion other disabled activists have had about accessibility surrounding concerts. 

Firstly the tickets, without my sister’s type of organization and dedication, getting tickets at Wembley Stadium would never have happened. We tried to get accessible tickets to a few other venues in different countries but I failed because of unclear instructions and different instructions per venue for accessible tickets. 

So first thing I would love to change is for there to be an international standard across venues on how to get accessible tickets (I understand somehow that sounds like world peace)but it would be so wonderful and make the process clear at least. 

Back to Wembley stadium to get tickets you had to call their accessibility line to get tickets. I was beyond lucky. I have a sister who lives in England with a British phone line and amazing coworkers as they spent three days on hold and being hung up on before getting tickets. This was the average process time and that seems slightly out of control. Amazingly, you have these spots but if your phone line is crashing and it takes four days you just aren't planning for the amount of disabled people waiting to show up and show out. I would love to see an extra line at least to expand capabilities. I would say that was one of the main issues I came across during the entire process and trip. Y’all disabled people are over 10% of the population if you make accessible space we will come! 

Flying oh why is flying always so stressful with a wheelchair. It's so unnecessary, staff just be educated and think before smashing wheelchairs and parts!?!

I booked my flight on British Airways. It went fine booking wheelchair help on their website worked well and they had proper tags at the airport they also tagged my chair like luggage which was incredibly helpful for the trip back when my chair was damaged. I need airport staff to be trained on what not to do with wheelchairs, and to read information in the system.  I lucked out that my flight wasn’t canceled with all the drama where I’m living at the moment. Other than that stress, my flight to London went just fine.

Finding an accessible hotel room wasn’t so bad. I had previously stayed at a Premier Hub when I traveled to London previously and their accessible room worked perfectly for me so we booked it again. I have no complaints even with another person staying in the room with me this time. Their shower chair is a little bit hard to raise up but I think that's a Jude’s brain problem more than anything else. 

Traveling to the concert and back was probably the most stressful part of my trip (aside from dealing with Heathrow on the return). I’m glad we left when we did at around 14 for a 19 start time. I could have gone earlier but that’s on my anxiety and we still got there with enough time. We had issues with the underground which I very much expected, I have heard many a horror story about the elevators on the tube, and the one day we needed to use the tube the elevator at Kings Cross that would get us on the tube line going to Wembley was down. There was a nice attendant at the station who tried to help us plan a route going in the other direction for a bit to get off at another station where the elevators were working and to get turned around. That was far from smooth going though as the station on the map said it was flat access to get off independently wasn’t so we had to keep going in the wrong direction and hope the next stop was flat. Luckily it was and the staff helped us get round and on the tube heading in the direction of Wembley. We got to Wembley okay then and I finally started to just get excited and the stress lowered. At Wembley station they were great, and although they let us know one of their elevators was also out of service and that we’d have to go in the wrong direction again on the way home to get going in the right direction. It actually worked out much better as it was less crowded to get on.

Wembley had an accessible van right outside the station and it was taking wheelchair users and other folks who have mobility issues, straight to the stadium so we didn't have to push with the crowd we got there early enough that there was no line and we got taken over right away. There are clear accessible entrances for every color and number so you just have to follow the information on your ticket which was great. They didn't give me any issues about my chair and just checked my FFORA wallet. I will say I found the bathrooms the most stressful part of it, when we first got to the stadium a worker was using the disabled toilet by the start of the accessible entrance. Also by our seats, there was one stall for quite a few numbers of seats, and I went to the restroom between the openers and Taylor coming on and I was stressed. The seats we got though were incredible, we were above the floor crowd enough to have a perfect view of Taylor and most of the stage and the way the seats are set the people in front of you are below you enough they don't block your view. Your view will vary depending on the level. The stewards that were there were helpful and made sure people didn't come and stand in front or in our space. I only bought a bottle of water for meds as I brought some protein snacks with me and I knew I wasn’t going to eat much from all the excitement anyway.

Leaving the concert took about as long as the concert itself. Mind you the concert was the best personal night of my life and worth it but it was a journey. We waited and did not leave the concert early as that was not something I was willing to do. We got out of the stadium and back to the bus stop relatively easily people were manning the elevators and they helped us out. The wait by the stop for the van to take us to the underground station was long. Two vans were going back and forth and they could only hold two wheelchair users and 6 people with other mobility aids. Luckily I had my chair and wasn't trying to wait standing, it was chilly but survivable. I wish they had an option to up the amount of vans even just by one it would have lessened waiting time for everyone. When we got to the station the elevator going home was broken as they told us when we got there so we got on the underground going in the other direction for one stop to get off take the elevator and get on the underground going in the right direction. Luckily the main stop we wanted to get off at the elevator was working so we didn't need to transfer anymore. I made friends with another wheelchair user from Spain doing the same route so we traveled all the way back to our hotels together. (She also gave me a friendship bracelet which made me smile as I didn’t get so many bracelets.)We got back to the hotel around 2 am and while it was super worth it, there are some ways the trip home wouldn't need to be longer than the concert itself.