Access
Getting out & about
Getting out and about is a different experience if you are a disabled person. Often it means having to get up earlier to plan your day, to make phone calls for personal assistance requirements and to get transport sorted from A to B. You have to think ahead about which places you want to visit are or aren’t accessible, and to have a contingency plan worked out just in case things go wrong.
In other words, you can’t often just "pop out" to the shops, the cinema, or the pub in a spontaneous way. If you want to get involved in your community, for example by going to evening classes to learn yoga, or even become a local councillor or magistrate, there are barriers that need to be removed.
Things that may become a barrier to getting out and about might include:
- inaccessible housing
- lack of personal assistance support
- no dropped kerb from the house to the bus stop or car park
- inaccessible bus from the house to town
- inaccessible bus stop or no dropped kerb to the pavement
- no accessible parking available
- parking ticket machine not accessible
- inaccessible shops/post office/pub
- poor attitude of staff in shop/pub
- lack of accessible information
At the moment, the built environment, housing, transport, information provision and people’s attitudes can be a block to experiencing an ordinary life.
Disability
If all buildings, vehicles, shops, houses and services were designed more thoughtfully, life would be easier for everyone – especially disabled people.