Disabled young people are in danger of inflicting serious injury by just going on a shopping trip.
This is the reality for many as disabled access fails to improve across the Northwest.
Matthew (17) from Strabane has been thrown from his wheelchair when the wheel got caught in one of the many cracks in the road in his hometown.
Aaron (13) who says that the council need to improve ‘everything’ has got stuck on an escalator for half an hour as well as clocking up hours and even days of frustration trying to deal with heavy doors, high steps, blocked ramps and inconsiderate able-bodied pedestrians.
Aaron and Matthew are from the ASBAH group in Derry (Association of Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida). Both young people live with Hydrocephalus and/or Spina Bifida which means they are in a wheelchair all the time.
Headliners spoke to them about how access is having a detrimental effect on their personal lives.
Matthew shares: “Access where I live is not very good. The council need to do more. They could put more ramps in place, make doors wider, lower step heights and make sure there is plenty of space at entrance and exits to buildings.
“I was out with my uncle recently and there were; potholes, steps, bumps, wee cracks and drains everywhere. The wheel of my wheelchair caught on the drain and I nearly went out.”
Although Matthew can laugh about this he realises the implications could have been very bad. Matthew has to have shunts in his back to drain fluid from the brain. Were he to have a bad fall from his wheelchair this could result in a very frightening and possibly life-threatening experience.
Aaron can also laugh about his near misses but is totally fed up with the bad access and the risks he takes when just out and about in his local community.
He shares: “I think everything needs to be improved because it’s very bad. I think people need to go to the council and tell them what it is like out there.
“When you are in a chair you want nothing more than to be like everyone else. You can get so bored sitting in a chair all day so it's important that we can feel safe and feel able to get out and about.”
Both Matthew and Aaron don’t feel that able-bodied people are aware of what life is like for them.
Headliners asked if they think members of the general public care about disabled access.
Aaron who feels it is the council and roads service responsibility to make improvements said: “Some people might but most of them probably don’t. Friends and family of disabled people do care.”
Matthew added: “It’s up to the council and the government to do something. I think that they think more about able-bodied people rather than the disabled. People just assume that disabled people can go wherever able-bodied can go and it’s just not the case.
About this article
This story was produced by Saorla Boyle, 17.
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