This article is aimed at non wheelchair users as well as wheelchair users.  But the wheelchair users will know most of what is written here, whilst the majority of non wheelchair users will be pretty clueless. 

Do you think that anyone not in a wheelchair truly appreciates the accessibility issues?   

Thing like the difference between the heights of curbs on pavements can be a nightmare to navigate for a new wheelchair user (particularly manual wheelchairs, as power wheelchairs have a little bit of extra oomph).  That’s just the start of it. 

Travelling on a bus can be a task in itself, as some buses will drive straight past you if you are in a wheelchair, either because it is too full or not a disabled access bus.  On a lot of occasions the wheelchair space will be with someone’s tat, the owner of which, who doesn’t care that that space could be wanted by someone struggling to get into the centre of town. 

What about going to popular parks and tourist spots?  How many of these places cater properly for disabled access? Many of these places do cater for wheelchair users, but only if you phone them in advance to make sure that some help is on hand.  That and gravel paths don’t do wheelchair users any favors. 

Now non wheelchair users, have you read this post carefully?  None of these things will seem like daily challenges to you, but think about them and what it would feel like if you were in a wheelchair for just one day.  And next time you find a building, bus, pavement or tourist spot that doesn’t appear to have adequate disabled access, then please say something on a wheelchair user’s behalf.