Disabled Access - Is it Really that Bad? OK disabled people all moan about it, all have horror stories to tell but as a w/chair user of more than thirty years and having a long memory I can positively say ‘things are definitely on the up’ OK before you shot me down in flames with your stories of ‘I can’t get in here or I cant get in there’ let me explain a little more. 30 years ago at the tender age of 16, I came out of hospital after being in for 11 ½ months. I could not cross most roads as dropped curbs were a rare thing. Going into a pub (yes ever at 16) was near on impossible and you would be frowned upon for doing so. I remember being denied access to many places such as cinemas because I was a Health & Safety risk’ in case a fire broke out. Booking a hotel was near on impossible and as for flying, I’d have more luck trying to grow wings. Disabled people didn’t drive cars either, they had (Bright Blue) ‘invalid carriages’ that stood out like a sore thumb and shouted out ‘Look I’m disabled’ Not only have there been many improvements in this time but more importantly peoples attitudes have changed a great deal and I really do mean a GREAT deal. We now have a place in society but further more are excepted in the big bad outside world. OK so there are still places we cant access and to be honest there always will be but on a hole we have evolved in leaps and bounds. Correcting all the worlds access issues is a mammoth task, especially in a country as old as the UK but we are getting there, no longer can we be denied access to cinemas, booking (most) hotels is now possible and yes, they even have disabled rooms (Something that was not heard of not so long ago in the past) not only have ‘Invalid carriages’ been scrapped but the word invalid has been scrapped with it. (UK)We are getting there, we just need to see it. Robin www.access-auditing.comwww.ableize.com
