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MOBILITY NOT DISABILITY

Britain is supposedly the most wheelchair friendly country in Europe. Retired school teacher Peter Burgess puts this statement to the test. He takes Inside Out along for the ride.

Peter has muscular dystrophy. Since his 30s, Peter’s muscles have slowly weakened and now he needs a wheelchair to get around.

With a camera strapped to his wheelchair, Peter takes Inside Out to his nearest town, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire to see what obstacles he faces as a wheelchair user.

Obstacles

• Peter drives to Leicester to use shopmobility - a free wheelchair service. This allows Peter to venture outside of the shopping centre for the first time in 15 years.
• Heavy doors in shops and public buildings make otherwise easy access difficult.
• Badly placed door handles make access difficult.
• A high street bank has stairs but no lift or ramp. No cash - no shopping!

Disability Discrimination Act

Peter has greater freedom in his wheelchair than using walking sticks

In two years time, the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act will come into full force. This means that all shops, banks and other public places must be accessible to wheelchair users.

However as Peter and Inside Out discovered on the trip to Leicester, not all shops seem keen to comply. This can make access for wheelchair users fraught with difficulties.

Peter, who in the past has relied on his sticks for his mobility, has a much more optimistic outlook.

"It really annoys me when people say ‘confined to a wheelchair’. Confined is the last thing it does. Using a wheelchair has liberated me."

This is not to say that Peter is impressed with the accessibility he has encountered.

"In some places it's dreadful - the access is just not there, and some of the worst offenders are big institutions like banks and building societies."

Going solo

A solo train trip to London - Peter's greatest challenge yet

With Leicester safely conquered, Peter challenges himself to a solo trip to the nation’s capital by train.

Wheelchair users have to book their place on the train 24 hours in advance, hardly allowing for a spur of the moment outing.

In the past, Peter has had to resort to crawling onto a train using his sticks.

Once in London, it is almost impossible to travel around the city by public transport, so Peter relies on the good old black cab. But at £50 for a day's traveling, this is not a cheap option.

London on wheels

Wheelchair user Andrew Jeffrey, a regular commuter to London from the North East, reveals the difficulties he faces and offers advice on how to overcome them.

Like Peter, Andrew has to book his place on the train 24 hours in advance. This ensures that assistance will be available as well as a designated wheelchair space.

On GNER, there are only two designated spaces per train, one in first class and one in second. Something that desperately needs rectifying.

As a frequent user of the route, Andrew is very complimentary about the assistance he receives from the staff. A ramp is provided for access onto the train and he receives help with his luggage.

The newer trains have excellent toilet facilities, however, the older ones have no disabled access, so rethink that extra cup of coffee!

Like Peter, Andrew avoids the Tube like the plague. Access to the the tube is very limited for wheelchair users. The solution - book a taxi in advance, or Andrew’s preferred method, hire a car, for convenience and value.

A word of warning when parking your car, certain areas of London do not recognise the disabled badge and you could return to your vehicle to find it clamped! Read the signs carefully.

Whilst the sight of the Red London buses is indicative of the fair city, only two thirds of buses have wheelchair access. London transport estimate that it will be five to six years before the entire fleet is accessible to wheelchairs.

Andrew has found most hotels, including the budget ones, have disabled rooms. Book in advance.

So as a wheelchair user, London public transport may not be very user friendly, but Andrew cunningly points out that when it comes to getting to the front of the queue in a bar, his wheelchair comes in very useful. Mine's a dry white wine!

The future

The Disability Discrimination Act should bring about vast improvements for wheelchair users in years to come.

Until then, users like Peter and Andrew will continue to struggle around poorly designed public buildings, whilst public transport will continue to pose all manner of difficulties.