Guest Author - Wollie Woehler

The topic of accessibility is far more complex than we think. Most people take it for granted that they are able to get out of bed, hold a fork or pick up something from the floor, while their thoughts are somewhere far from the actions they are performing. For others even the simplest task can become tedious and frustrating. Especially for a person living with a disease where their muscles are either deteriorating slowly or rather quickly, forever finding new ways to perform tasks they were able to do a short while ago. A person’s attitude plays a major role in handling life’s situations if you experience each obstacle in life as a pain in itself, life will never be worth living. On the other hand being willing to see life as one big challenge, makes it easier for yourself and everyone else in your family friends, and even the man on the street.

Mothers pushing baby prams, people on crutches as well as wheel chair users all benefit from ramps into buildings, at street corners and wherever there are only a few steps up or down and no lifts available.

Blind and partially sighted people have problems distinguishing the edge of the sidewalk and the start of the road of the intersection. The blind appreciates a little roughness in the texture of the sidewalk to indicate the difference. Wheel chair users can still comfortably navigate their chairs and visually impaired people can also tell when they reach the edge of the sidewalk by recognising the different surface. This proves the complexity of accessibility to accommodate all people involved in such a small thing as ramps and sidewalk edges.

Modern buildings with beautiful glass doors may let in the light into foyers but how many people land up in doctor’s consulting rooms with cuts in their faces, arms or even legs where they walked right through these doors realising too late that it were closed. After such an incident the glass needs to be replaced and the injured person has to stay away from work because of their injuries. Only then will the owner of the building hire someone to paint or do some cut glass art work so people can see when the doors are closed.

The romantic candle lights in restaurants may attribute to the atmosphere while couples are having a drink and a delicious meal. A deaf person cannot function in such soft light as it prevents them from reading the lips of their companions. I remember an incident where a deaf friend called out in the utmost frustration for someone to switch on the stronger lamp so he could see what the other man was telling him.

Well meaning people leave room for wheel chair user’s right at the back of a hall or church without thinking of placing normal chairs there too so family and friends can sit with them. I went to a funeral where the son of the deceased could not sit with his mother as there were not enough room for his chair.

In future articles we are going to look into specific tools and aids which make life easier as far as accessibility goes.

We will also look into the cost involved to utilise technology available in ordinary stores as well as articles manufactured for people with slight to severe disabilities as result of neuromuscular diseases.