"I wish designers would try it out in a wheelchair themselves"

I am a wheelchair user and needed to go to A&E last week. I attended with my husband. We got in the reception and found the reception desk far too high for anyone in a wheelchair. No one could see me nor me them. I'm hard of hearing too and when my husband told them I was there they continued to sit and made no attempt to stand or engage with me.

There was a lower desk area to the side but no one was there and it was partially blocked by computer screens which defeated the purpose of it being there.  I went to it and tried to get someone's attention, eventually someone came and took some details but then she told me to then go to her colleague who was sat behind the higher bit of the desk who I couldn't see or hear.

I ended up myself going to the end where the opening was for staff to get in to the reception area and trying to get her attention. The whole design in that area is not ideal for wheelchair users, the seating area too wasn't thought out properly either which was very narrow.

This is such a shame as it is a new build. I wish designers would actually try it out in a wheelchair themselves and see how it works out.