I've been on a bit of a vacation as my physiotherapist is on vacation and I had a whole week with no medical appointments. It has been nice and relaxing and a welcome change of routine. That said, I really don't have any updates to offer about my progress or any wacky medical stories to share. However, I do have a bit of a rant in me about the lack of really 'accessible' places around here. I am lucky to have Scott and friends who are willing to drive me around and help me get over door jams and the like, so I can manage pretty well. I would hate to be alone and in a wheelchair in this area - I would be pretty much forced to stay home. Even the hospital barely passes in some respects. But I get ahead of myself... I'll break it down into categories.
Parking
There are A LOT of people around with handi parking passes and not nearly enough designated spaces to handle all of us. I do not want to judge people with the pass and am fully aware that there are 'invisible illnesses' and many conditions for which a pass is warranted. However, I know that a few abuse the privilege and that ticks me off. So sometimes we are forced to park in 'regular' spots, it is what it is.
My main parking beef is specific to the Sobeys parking lot in North Sydney. The designated spots there are huge, which should be a good thing. The problem is that they are actually too big, so people routinely double park in them (with passes). When this happens there is no way to fit my wheelchair in beside the car, which is pretty much the point of having bigger spaces to begin with. It makes me crazy with a sort of parking lot rage and I am oh so tempted to rub my chair all along the side of the offending vehicle. I don't though, that would be wrong... Instead, I patiently wait for Scott to back up into the lane so that I can get back in the car.
The way I see it there are three issues here. First, people do not pay attention to the rules. Second, the spaces are too big and not really marked clearly - it would be better to have smaller spots and a spacer of diagonal painted lines between spots to leave room for wheelchairs (the hospital does this with success). Third, there need to be more designated spaces as there seem to be so many people needing them. One of these days I'm going to write Sobeys about this. The Walmart at the other side of the mall does a much better job of marking spaces - I just hate Walmart with all of my being so can't start grocery shopping there...
Restaurants and Store Entries
Lots of places have ramps or are level with the sidewalk, which is great. I believe it is a rule that any new business must be nominally accessible and most are. But really, they aren't. They have ramps, yes, but then there is a lip of 2-4 inches to get over the door jam. If I am with someone it is generally easy enough for them to pop a wheelie and get me over the lip. However, I don't think I could do it alone and really wonder about people in power chairs or elderly people who may not have someone fit enough to push the chair up and over.
We were at the Travelodge hotel this week (Scott was playing a show there) and it had a big sign by the door saying they were 'accessible'. First of all, there was no avoiding going over a speed bump when wheeling over from the parking lot (I did manage this on my own but it required a good push and upper body burn). Next the concrete ramp to the door was pretty steep and did not level off before the door so pushing the button and not rolling backward at the same time was tricky. Finally, there was a big ole lip of 3-4 inches to get in the door and I could not manage this on my own. Oh yes, the button also needed a second push as by the time I maneuvered from the button to the door it was already starting to close. Once inside everything was fine.
Inside the Store
I'm not a big shopper and never have been. CIDP has been a wonderful excuse to expand my reliance on online shopping for most things. But, sometimes I need to go shopping - usually for groceries. Grocery stores are pretty accessible - they are designed for push carts after all. So that is great. I can wheel myself around with no issue. I do have to be careful as people are not always the most aware of me and there always seems to be a near miss collision at some stage of the trip.
My biggest complaint is that I can't reach many items. I will try to be helpful and, say go get the cereal, only to find that it is out of reach. I'm not sure how to fix this or if it is even realistic to ask for it to be fixed, but it's frustrating. People are usually nice enough to grab things for me but it sucks. The other frustration can occur at the checkout. Thankfully it has only been an issue at one store - the Sobeys on Prince Street (that's right, the fancy new one). The problem here is that the debit/credit machine is fixed in place and is too high for me to actually use. I had to give a friend of mine my pin and ask her to put the payment through for me! Crazy, right? I certainly would not want to be stuck there alone and have to give the cashier my pin!
Bathrooms
I try really hard to avoid public washrooms and, for the most part, am successful. However, on occasion they are necessary, especially at the hospital. One would think that of all places, the hospital would be fully accessible. But nay nay. I have had to use a few washrooms there and they are not all created equal. Sure, they are all big and have a bar to help with the transfer. Some have a lower sink, mirror and towel dispenser, some do not. In some cases the bar is too far away from the toilet to be of any use to those of us under six feet tall. It is frustrating because it should be standard. In a building designed for sick and infirm people I have found two acceptable washrooms (and I have to stretch to reach the towels in one of them).
Sidewalks
This is specific to downtown Sydney. The sidewalks are a deathtrap. They are cracked and uneven and a total mess. Wheeling from one store to another is a bit of an extreme sport. It would probably be easier to go on the road (if it weren't for the pesky traffic). There are days where I think I could kill time after an appointment by wheeling myself a few blocks to get a coffee, but I fear it would not work. Not to mention the tricky part of getting over the door jam and into a store. So I am forced to rely on people to help me get around.
So there you have it - a little rant about the trials and tribulations of getting around town in a wheelchair. There are some places that are great and really easy to get around - I just wish there were more of them. I also wish that people would think a little more about what accessible actually means. It is not about meeting a minimum code requirement, it is about providing functional access for people with limited mobility. The whole point is to enable everyone to lead independent lives. If builders and designers took a few minutes to actually think about how an entrance, parking space, bathroom, or whatever, would be used by someone in a wheelchair (or even better, in a power chair), I think that our spaces would be in much better shape.
That's it for now. I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend:)
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