New life in a wheelchair

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The Herald's foreign affairs reporter, Cynthia Banham, survived the Yogyakarta plane crash in March. On her road to recovery, she writes of her new challenge of life in a wheelchair. Below is an excerpt from one of her articles, which I reckon is an overdue wakeup call in the consumer world for considering those in a wheelchair. What are your views?

“My delight at reclaiming these lost parts of my life quickly turned into resentment towards my wheelchair…I was completely unprepared for how bad I would be made to feel by the outside world for having the temerity to live my life in a wheelchair.

I first became aware of this harsh truth when I made a trip to a department store… the store's aisles were so narrow there was no way I could manoeuvre the wheelchair around them. In the food department, the counters were so high I could not see over them to the sales staff.

Here I was, an independent 34-year-old woman whose entire adult life thus far had involved many hours in shops buying clothes, make-up, browsing for books and CDs, and now I felt completely shut out of consumer society.

I wondered whether the rest of the wheelchair-bound population was so horrified at their own first experiences contending with the department store world that they never ventured into it again - or whether there just were not that many of us.

It was not just department stores, of course. In supermarkets my chair could not fit through the checkout aisles, nor could I reach most of the shop shelves.”

We as a community still must consider these wheelchair bound members...why are we so slow?

 

here in Belgium access to 99.9% of government buildings is excellent whereas supermarkets are something else they have ramps for you to get in but after that they are the same as quoted in your article.

we have what are called kneeling buses here that is to say when they stop the suspension lowers the entrance to street level and there is always a place or two at the front for chairs.

the big problem with shopping is that floor space is so expensive that they use every square millimetre thereby making it very difficult (some times impossible) for the infirm or chair bound.

but my biggest rant is the selfish and egoistic motorists they sound their horns when you try to cross the street also they park in the disabled parking bays (some times with a disabled sticker on the windshield) and they can be seen loading heavy articles in the trunk I.E. crates of beer.

i don't think for one moment this is unique to Belgium but when i have travelled it never seems to be as bad especially the parking thing.

 

Same here...same here...Disabled parking here have steep fines when used illegally too!

 

i myself have been in a wheelchair since 1985 after breakng my neck in a swimming accident. able bodied people parking in disabled spaces realy angers me:mad i come accross it every day. simply because they are to lazy to walk that extra couple of yards to where they are going. access to buildings is getting better due to new building codes but older buildings are a nightmare to get into or around once you do get in. even if you go somewere for say a meal. you say to one of the staff! "could you direct me to the disabled toilet " 60% of the time the answer is we dont have one:banghead i could go on all day on this subject but i've had my rant for the day now

 

Really is a problem internationally.

Some wheelchair bound persons are taking photos of illegally parked cars and the licence number to show local Council for fines...or phoning Rangers to report such parking.

A lot of these access problems also makes it hard for those with wheelchairs to be as "independent" as possible.

Here, the Disability Discrimination Act specifies areas in which it prohibits a person being discriminated against on the ground of their disability. These areas include
• accommodation,
• employment,
• goods, services and facilities,
• public transport and
• premises.
They include access to or use of "any premises that the public, or a section of the public, is entitled or allowed to enter or use".

People who design, build, own, lease, operate or manage such premises have responsibilities under this Act (and also under State anti-discrimination laws). Responsibilities include not discriminating against people on the ground of disability in relation to the access to and use of those premises.

Any part of the 'built environment' that the public is entitled, or allowed, to enter or use falls within the definition.

However, this Act recognises that in certain circumstances, providing equitable access for people with disabilities could cause 'unjustifiable hardship' for an owner or operator of premises.

The Act does not require access to be provided to the premises if it would impose such an 'unjustifiable hardship' on the person who would have to provide the access. So, here too there are places (such as restaurants) where facilities for disabled are not available.

It is generally agreed however that it is unlikely to ever cause a developer an unjustifiable hardship to design and construct accessible buildings when access is considered at the concept stage.

It still is up to the community to turn the heat up for better access towards community members such as yourself.

 

When people that arent handicapped park in those spaces, let me tell you (I am neither a driver or handicapped) it really lights my fire and at that moment I wish I were a cop to give them the biggest fine everLOL

I mean its sheer laziness, rudeness and inconsiderateness (if thats a word lol) and I really can not stand it. Here for new businesses and renovations of old buildings there must be at least one ADA approved bathroom in both the men's and the womens room. If not they cannot open for business, until its up to standards. Its a shame they cant make older facilities do the same.

 

Same here, but some people do weird things like at our local bar where the door to get in is so darn heavy that even I can't open it and I have a strong upper body. They have ramps here too but some of them are so steep that it is dangerous to go down and very hard if not impossible to get up without having someone to help you out.

Also, many large stores like a supermarket now have electric scooters so I just hop(well, not exactly hop LOL) out of my chair and use the scooter. I have a friend who drives me and helps me out in the supermarket so I'm very thankful for that. Things are getting better but still too slow IMHO.

Oh, don't get me started about the handicapped parking especially with our winters.:mad

 

Some of you will recall my friend, Jacky, who nearly died in a horrific car accident about 18 months ago. She left hospital about 6 months ago and is now using a wheelchair. Being that we worked in the Lifelong Learning Dept for Special Educational Needs, which she now heads for the whole county, it will spur on the changes necessary to allow wheelchair users full accessibility as those who are not chair users. While the event in Jacky's life has been forever life-changing, she is now back at work part-time and using her new life to it's full potential to change systems and attitudes to benefit others in the same position as her physically. She always was the biggest advocate for equality in special needs....now she is making a new life for herself and living that reality with all the positiveness and enthusiasm I could only wish to have if I were her.

Humans, by nature, are selfish, legalsuit. That is why we are so slow, sadly.

 

I guess our rules around here are more strict or maybe just the inspectors? We do bathroom renovations at my job and we've had ADA inspectors make us (not us the building owner but we do the work) widen aisles/stalls, lower ramps, put up guard rails/hand bars. I have run into some very heavy doors that have taken alot of effort for me to open, like I literally had to lean my entire against the door, What is the point?

 

Yes...we are slow...but too slow...as a community we shouldn't have to be roused by those who have had to turn their lives around due to a tragedy like your friend Jacky to sit up and take notice. We should be a more active community.

 

Heavy doors and steep ramps:confused Incredibly stoopid!

As for parking areas. I once parked my car across the back of someone illegally parked in a disabled area to block the person from getting out. Then I went off in search of a Ranger.

When I returned with the Ranger in tow, I had a very red faced, irate fella glaring at me shouting all sorts of obscenities. I coolly walked up to my car, once in, wound down the window and sweetly smiled back while saying, “I just wanted to get the Ranger for you.” I was grinning widely while checking my rear view mirror seeing the Ranger writing in his pad while the guy was flaying his arms about.

 

a few years back i had an appointment with my doctor. even though it is a large medical practice there is only four disabled bays and they were all taken so i sat in the car waiting for a space to open up. after about 10 mins a guy in a wheelchair came out. got into his car and reversed out. before i could move this other car flashed past me and into the space. a guy gets out of the car with no disability at all and goes to walk off. i wound down my window and said to him! excuse me that is a disabled parking bay and i was waiting to get into it. at this point he give me the finger and walked off.:mad the disabled bays are clearly marked so my wife went and got one of the security guys who clamped his car which costs £100 to get removed. on my way back out there he was arguing with the security guy so i got great pleasure giving him the finger back on the way past

 

I have often thought i would love to have one of those clamps in the car for just such a situation

 

Well done, I hope he learned something that day

 

it could of cost him a lot more! my wife wanted to key his car but i stopped her

 

Think before you act in haste!!!

I regularly take my disabled father in law to the bank (and other places). He can only walk a few yards with a frame. So I drop him at the door and park at a nearby disabled space, using his sticker. I could legally just stick the car on the double yellow lines in everyone's way, using the sticker but we try to play fair to everyone. When he comes out he staggers to the car or I move it up nearer the bank entrance. The exercise is better than using the wheelchair he also has.

My point is that the outward appearance is of an able bodied person fraudulently using parking reserved for the disabled - but this is not so.

 

My point is that the outward appearance is of an able bodied person fraudulently using parking reserved for the disabled - but this is not so.[/QUOTE]
i fully understand your point studiot. there is all sorts of disabilities that may not be obvious. but the sad fact is that people do misuse parking spaces reserved for the disabled. and to me it's sheer laziness and thoughtless. for me it's not the fact that these places are reserved nearer to, say, a shopping mall than other spaces thats handy. but the fact that they are made wider for the disabled. you need that extra wide space to be able to open your door wide enough to get your wheelchair along side. if i use an ordinary space, most of the time when i come back to my car, the cars parked next to me are so close i cant get in. sorry im ranting again but this subject is like a red rag to a bull for me

 

Understand what you're saying. I'm in your same position with my mum...even had a Ranger stop me because he hadn't seen me drop her off around corner...just saw me heading out of the car - I actually walked him to mum and got an apology.

But there are definitely instances when people illegally use these parking spaces whether they do or don't have Disabled cards. Here they get challenged.

eg. Using person's card for own convenience and not for helping disabled person at any time on that day.

eg. No card, just illegally parking.

This is a huge problem in Sydney. The guy I blocked in (my earlier post), had no card nor label present.

 

well done with the blockin in legalsuit:celebrate keep up the good work

 

I guess karma (cause and effect) came around quicker than that guy expected on that day.LOL

 

I agree that laziness and lack of consideration for others causes many abuses of rights (??priviledges). Another related one is delivery drivers who stop in all sorts of akward places rather than stopping nearby and walking a few extra steps. then there are those who insist on driving 40 metre delivery articulated lorries into pedestrian areas at peak shopping periods...and then there are those who......

 

Just saw this on CNN in relation to parking handicappedfraud.org CNN must be lurking here.LOL

 

I have noticed it's usually medical buildings with the heaviest doors. :confused

 

Yep, maybe Ted Turner (CNN Boss), is a member here..

There is supposedly a $200.00 fine for unauthorized parking in a Disabled Bay here, but it seems to be seldom enforced, sadly.

 

I've been in at least 2 restaurants that they have

absolutely-they would crush you if they fell on you-dead heavy doors.

 

I've spotted quite a few places with those individual type of elevators for disabled if ramps have not been provided...so cool.

You seat person in it and up they go...some types you can walk up steps beside them as they're going up. Noted these mainly around old buildings of my Council...which is one of the toughest around too.

So cool, particularly for going to upstairs restaurants in old buildings that have great views.