John has been physically disabled since he was born. Daniel became disabled after a car accident when he was six years old. John lives in Neighbourhood A, while Daniel lives in Neighbourhood B. Both are wheelchair users. Both want to go out to buy something from a grocery shop near their apartments. Let’s follow their journeys to the shops.
Neigbourhood A
John comes out from the apartment where he stays. There are pathways on the both sides of the main entrance of his apartment. However, there is no kerb ramp for him to wheel his wheelchair up to the pathways. Therefore, he is forced to wheel along the roadside. There are one or two cars parked illegally along the roadside. When he approaches a parked car, he has to wheel further out, towards the middle of the road. This is dangerous as there are motorcycles, cars and even lorries passing by him in his small wheelchair.
There are adults and children walking along the pathways to and from the apartment or nearby houses. Even if someone was to help John to go up the kerb, it also would be hard for him to wheel along the pathways as they are quite narrow. There are trees and lamp posts situated near the middle of the pathways, making the pathways even narrower. Some parts of the pathways are uneven and broken and senior citizens find it difficult and risky to walk along the pathways.
After John crosses the road, he wheels along the roadside, next to the five-foot walkway. There are two steps he has to climb to reach the walkway. He has to wheel along the roadside, looking for a ramp. He wheels until the end of the five-foot walkway before he finds a kerb ramp. However, the ramp is too steep and he cannot wheel up the steep ramp to the walkway. Even if there was someone willing to help him, it would still be very dangerous to be pushed up the steep ramp.
In the end, John is forced to forget his plan to go to the shop. He wheels home through the unfriendly and dangerous road without buying the stuff he needs.
Neigbourhood B
Daniel comes out from the apartment where he stays. There are pathways on both sides of the main entrance of his apartment. He turns left and wheels up to the pathway through a gentle kerb ramp. Even though there are a few trees and lamp posts on the pathway, there is enough space for him to move along. His neighbours can walk pass by him easily. The surface of both the pathways are even and smooth. He wheels until the other end of the pathway, stops there, waiting for the right time to cross the road safely. Sometimes, there are kind drivers or motorists who will slow down and stop their vehicles for someone to cross the road. Then, he wheels down the kerb ramp and crosses the road.
Once he reaches the opposite side of the road, Daniel wheels up to the five-foot walkways through one of the gentle kerb ramps. There are a few shops and also cafes along the walkways. People walk along the corridor and go in and out of the shops. They smile and greet one another and they also smile at Daniel while he smiles back. He wheels himself to the grocery shop to buy his stuff.
Daniel goes home after buying what he wants. Besides going to the shops, he is also able to go to the nearby bus stop to take a bus to other destinations.
This shows that disabled people are not handicapped by their physical, sensory, intellectual or psychological impairments or disabilities. However, the disabled are handicapped by environmental and societal barriers such as inaccessible facilities, inaccessible services, and discrimination.
Let’s work together to move
from Neighbourhood A towards Neighbourhood B
from Neighbourhood A towards Neighbourhood B
