Accessing the local community
Posted on 3rd February 2020 at 13:36
Growing up with a disability is an extensive challenge, one of the biggest challenges people with disabilities face is accessing the local community and the local high streets and having access to everyday services such as shops, banks and hotels, not just physically and mentally but also emotionally for someone living with a disability.
It's estimated businesses could be losing out on a share of £60 million a day! If only we could encourage our local communities to see people as a commercial opportunity and therefor be more accessible.
Social attitudes towards disability
The image above shows the wheelchair table of one of our citizens who has a Power Chair, the person is wearing a 'Go Pro camera' on her chest, the 'Go Pro camera' image taken shows a car parked on the pavement blocking the pavement access for this wheelchair to get past. Despite their being a warning side on the road to notify motorists that there are Disabled People nearby. This parking shows a lack of understanding and compassion for people with disability and their needs to access the community.
Above: Uneven surfaces create obstacles those with mobility needs.
In 2018, CPM conducted research with University of Plymouth student James BoneHill for his Dissertation, the research was titled: “When people see people in wheelchairs, they don’t care a bit” Investigating the Mobility Experiences of people with Cerebral Palsy in Harborne.
The aim of the research was to identify issues with access and mobility that disabled citizens face when going out into the local community. As our centre is based in Harborne, Birmingham with a group of willing participants we investigated a few routes in Harborne wearing go pro cameras.
The Research identified three main issues;
Social attitudes towards people with disability
Lack of accessible businesses
Negotiating the street environment
Lack of accessible businesses
Steps
No ramp access
Narrow doors that cannot accommodate wheelchairs.
No provision made
Image below; Local High Street, all those buildings in red are not very accessible for people in Wheelchairs or with mobility impairments. In fact 54% were classified as 'Not Very Accessible' with challenges such as stepped entrance or with narrow, manual doors. Or no alternative entrance offered. This we believe is typical of most local High Streets in the UK.
