ARE YOU BLIND TO THE REALITY OF DISABILITY AND INCLUSION?

As I’m sure some of you will have seen if you follow my social media, and also regularly read my blogs,  that two of my clients and friendS are Louise Hunt Skelley PLY and Chris Hunt Skelley MBE. Louise is a wheelchair user and Chris is visually impaired. 

Since working with both Louise and Chris, I’ve come to learn just how different the world is for those with a disability. Even when we have the Equality Act 2010 which says people should not be discriminated against because they have a disability, people with disabilities are often completely overlooked and they don’t receive equality or equity in many situations. Here are just a few examples which have taught me how difficult their lives can be – and there’s no need for it!

1. Going to a hotel with Louise – after booking her an accessible room, when we arrived, the room wasn’t actually accessible.  The shower was accessible for a wheelchair user but shampoos and gels were screwed to the wall out of reach, far too high. Heavy furniture was placed in front of the window so she was unable to draw the curtains at night. The mirror on the wardrobe door was behind the main door to the room and opened in such a way that she couldn’t get her wheelchair around to look at herself in the mirror. We complained and asked the hotel manager if anyone who was actually in a wheelchair had inspected the room – he said ‘no’. They tried to put this right in the moment but just some thought would have made this room far more user-friendly.

2. Getting petrol for Louise’s car can be an issue. Louise often has to ask for help because she cannot get her wheelchair around the car and near enough to the pump, and the payment slot is too high. This can mean trusting a total stranger with her bank card, and hoping they won’t do a runner with it.  Plus, on one occasion when she asked the petrol station staff for help, she was told no one could be spared to help her so she’s just left having to manage on her own in a setting not designed for those in wheelchairs. This is utterly disgraceful.

3. She has also faced multiple times, being ignored in the supermarket where the person on the till automatically talks to the person standing with her or beside her, assuming that she has someone with her, and isn’t capable of shopping alone. On some occasions Louise is alone and the person next to her is a random stranger. 

4. Louise can be a keynote speaker at a conference, and then not be able to access the loo, or on rare occasions, even the stage. So one minute, she’s a key person at the event and the next she has to beg to use the toilet.

5. Recently I went to a local café in Swindon and was impressed by their spacious accessible toilet – then realised, no person in a wheelchair would be able to use it. There were steps to all the entrances and a step up to the area where the toilet was situated and no ramp.  Someone like Louise would only be able to get access if someone could lift her wheelchair, which would mean she would transfer to a chair while this is happening, making things at worst impossible and at best, undignified.

6. Chris has a hidden disability, because he doesn’t look visually impaired and this can affect how people treat him.  This means that often he’s not believed – particularly in airports for queuing. And this happens despite the Civil Aviation Authority giving guidance for airports in aiding people with hidden disabilities – so they should be aware of it, and certainly shouldn’t be questioning someone.

7. The way in which people talk to Louise and Chris, particularly Lou, as if they were stupid and can’t speak or can’t hear.  A very old Radio 4 programme that talked about the treatment of people with disabilities, was titled: ‘Does he take sugar?’ – which was aimed at just that – people see someone with a physical, or even a hidden disability and assume they are lacking in the ability to speak for themselves. 

8. A problem which faces many wheelchair users when flying has recently been flagged by Sophie Morgan, Paralympic presenter who has been researching this and filmed a documentary.  She shares a story of how after a long flight to Heathrow, on landing her wheelchair and the battery-powered attachment had been damaged beyond repair, so this completely stopped her being able to do anything or get anywhere.  She says most wheelchair users she knows have similar horror stories about the poor treatment they receive at the hands of the airline industry. Sophie has set up a campaign group Rights on Flights to push for an overhaul in the way disabled people are treated.

9. Louise and Samanta Bullock, a former Brazilian wheelchair tennis number one, have collaborated, along with both of their husbands, on a new venture called EnableRise. It’s a business dedicated to promoting inclusivity, empowerment and positive change for forward-looking companies and organisations who want to embrace people of all abilities. Samanta also promotes inclusive fashion and sport. Fashion is something else that is important. Sitting in a wheelchair all the time, requires comfortable clothes yet still wanting to look fashionable. Tops have to be loose enough to be able to move your arms well, but then not too baggy so they look oversized, and trousers comfortable without ending up with a gap at the back when seated.

Becoming friends with Louise, Chris and Samanta has made me far more aware of my environment, and I now notice how easy it would be – or not – in terms of access if I were to visit particular locations with Louise or Chris.     

There are regulations for new buildings for business in the UK: that they should be accessible to all – but there are still far too many older buildings, where although difficult to change the infrastructure, more could be done in terms of ensuring that ramps are always available. 

Also, it is more than just accessibility to buildings. People with disabilities should have the same rights as everyone to be able to gain access, and sometimes it means they need extra help to gain that accessibility or they simply need some tools to effectively fulfil their full potential – something we all want and have a right to expect.

The term “equity” refers to fairness and justice and is distinguished from equality: Whereas equality means providing the same to all, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to imbalances.

We’re a long way from achieving this but we have to keep on going so that we stop seeing disability and simply accelerate ability.