Event puts focus on access issues
Skye and Lochalsh Access Panel has thanked the Skye councillors who took part in a wheelchair awareness day.
The event was organised to show how difficult it can be to carry out everyday tasks when there are barriers to access.
Councillors sat in wheelchairs for a day and performed tasks including going to the post office, going to the medical centre, using an accessible toilet and shopping in a supermarket.
Each councillor was allocated one type of transport method which they had to stick to during the day.
The councillors recognised how some people seemed to see wheelchair users in a different light. They commented on how bumpy, uneven and narrow pavements were, how low they felt to the ground, how vulnerable they felt and how difficult it was to negotiate ramps, doors and roads.
At the end of the day, the councillors heard from wheelchair users about how they felt excluded within their community.
James Greer of Skye and Lochalsh Access Panel explained: ‘If a wheelchair user has just one bad experience when they are out and about it can dent their confidence and make them reluctant to leave home again. Unfortunately, the needs of disabled people seem so often an ad hoc afterthought by those designing new buildings and those providing services. If they were considered at the start, things would be independently accessible for not only disabled people but others such as parents with young children in push chairs, people temporarily disabled and older people.’
One of the councillors who took part, John Finlayson, said it was a valuable experience. ‘It was an eye-opening experience and made clear the challenges wheelchair users face on a daily basis,’ he said. ‘I am sure all the councillors who took part will now have a better understanding of how access issues impact on wheelchair users and this should help us support Skye and Lochalsh Access Panel better. I thank the organisers and supporters for making the day such an informative experience.’