This article is an account of one family’s day-to-day life of living with the issues of accessibility when there are building codes and practices preventing people with disabilities from getting where they want and need to go.
It begins with the location of and access to the children’s school with a number of large steps leading up into the main building.
There are chain-link fences, and between school hours and a couple either side of this time, the school gates are locked. This creates issues as the gates provide the only disabled access to the school for wheel chair users.
The concept of accessibility is a natural one for children who have grown up with a parent with a disability, much like questioning the shining of the sun or the blowing of the wind.
The additional challenges created by inaccessibility add to the toughness of living with a disability. Inclusion and diversity are often mentioned, and children especially love to hear about experiences beyond their own understanding such as being in a wheelchair.
Outlining a raft of examples where lobbying for access was evident, the article concludes with the clear and obvious statement, “In 2019, accessibility to public spaces and education centres should be ubiquitous”.
To read the full article go to When a wheelchair equals freedom
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