‘ACCESS AWARE’ ON OUR STREETS
THREE local councillors are taking part in a unique experiment this week to navigate Drogheda in a wheelchair.
Cllrs Kenneth Flood, Frank Godfrey and Richie Culhane, who are all able-bodied, will take part in the Access Awareness Challenge ‘’A day in the life of a person with a disability’, organised by the Drogheda branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association.
The three men will attempt to move from one point to another while using adapted equipment that will be supplied and see for themselves the daily challenges faced by those with a disability.
“I’ve organised this campaign to highlight what wheelchair users, or people with disabilities or visual impairments, go through every day,” says Nicola McDonnell from the IWA in Drogheda.
“Our members will accompany the councillors on their journeys and explains to them how difficult it can be to carry out the most ordinary of tasks, like getting to the shops, or crossing the road.”
The idea is to show Louth County Council that issues like cracked footpaths and potholes are not only inconvenient and unsightly but can be very dangerous too.
One of the councillors taking part is Cllr Richie Culhane, and he says it will be an education.
“Nicolas asked me to do it, and I thought it would give me a chance to see the daily challenges wheelchair users face from their birdseye view,” says the Fine Gael councillor.
“I will be able to understand from a planning point of view their perspective, and what difficulties they encounter every day.” He adds that the public also have a responsibility to be kinder to the disabled. “I see how many motorists park in disabled bays, or on the pavement, or householders leaving wheelie bins in the middle of pavements,” he adds. The Access Awareness Challenge is from Monday 23rd to Friday 27th from 2pm – 4pm,