25 Jun 2023
Quaint coaching routes and cute cobbled streets might be a charming characteristic of our city but what is it like to navigate one’s way through as a wheelchair user?
St Albans mum Liz Boulter and her son Ben Jones explained some of the challenges faced by wheelchair users and the work already underway towards making the city centre a more disabled-friendly environment.
Fourteen-year-old Ben, who lives with cerebral palsy, is somewhat of a mobility activist and is helping to make positive change at a national level.
Broken or blocked dropped kerbs, large potholes, uneven paving stones, inappropriate parking by residents and access to shops are all regular issues faced by Ben and Liz.
As well as the physical barriers such as broken lifts and blocked doorways, the attitudes of others can also make life more difficult for them.
Liz explains further: “Some shops have their doors closed due to hot or cold weather. If they were to put a doorbell on the entrance, people could alert staff and get assistance accessing the shop or café, especially if they are on their own. Some shops have very heavy doors and it is not always easy for people on wheels.”
In fact, the Maltings Pharmacy worked with Liz’s suggestion and did just that after talks two years ago. They listened and then negotiated with their landlord to put the doorbell in and now getting inside the chemists is far easier for wheelchair users or anybody with mobility restrictions.
As is often the way with adaptations and inclusive practices, such changes arguably help everybody, including able-bodied people.
She continued: “We live by Holywell Hill and rubbish day used to be a difficult day for us to get around St Albans because the refuse collectors would unwittingly leave recycling boxes and bins all over the place.
“Ben made a video and sent it to Veolia, the company who manage the refuse, and they used it in their staff training which has made a huge difference.
“The roads are far clearer now as staff consider the impact of where they place the containers.”
Boots’ lift has been broken for several weeks. Staff have told Liz they are fixing it but it currently remains out of order. This is particularly challenging due to the pharmacy’s recent move upstairs and must be affecting people with limited mobility. We have contacted Boots for a comment about this.
Liz is part of St Albans District Access Forum – a council initiative to help improve mobility access across the city. The group have mooted the idea of shop managers spending a few hours in a wheelchair in order to become more aware of potential hurdles. Shopmobility is also working towards a mapping of St Albans to highlight access challenges.
Boarding The Abbey Flyer is a challenge for Ben – and no doubt many others – due to there being a huge height difference between the station platform and the train. Staff use a ramp to enable access but the incline is steep.
Liz says wheelchair users face obstacles almost on a daily basis, elaborating: “We probably could contact somebody every day to complain about potholes, overgrown bushes, obstructive signs or sandwich boards or people parked across dropped kerbs.”
She recalls a time when the staff in HSBC had turned the automatic door off because they were feeling cold: “There was us, a woman who was visually impaired and a woman with a walking stick all standing outside the bank trying to attract the attention of staff to come and let them in.
“When I explained that the door should be on at all times, bank staff were grateful that we had pointed it out.”
Liz added:“I do feel that these things are in some way improving as people increase their awareness of the challenges people with disabilities might face.”
Interestingly, the mother-of-two said during the pandemic things were a bit better due to social distancing. It can be very hard to have enough space to get a wheelchair through shops and narrow streets, she explained.
“I think it is important for people to have a positive attitude and a keenness to want to understand if positive changes are ever to be made. We are not expecting Ben to get up the Clock Tower anytime soon but it’s brilliant that these conversations are taking place.
“Anybody can become disabled in the blink of an eye through an accident or a stroke or just through ageing. We need to think about the way our society adapts to help people to live full lives and have equal choice.”
Liz and Ben made a few suggestions on how wheelchair users can be better enabled to move around our city safely and happily:
* Do not assume a person in a wheelchair cannot understand you or cannot speak – talk to them directly;
* Do not park across a dropped kerb or block the pavement;
* Be sensitive to whether those around you might benefit from you opening the door for them or letting them go ahead of you;
* View people with disabilities not as passive victims but as proactive people who are able to shape change.
