Day in, day out, Mr Hartigan sells copies of The Big Issue to strangers he meets on the streets of Wollongong and Campbelltown.

Mr Hartigan, who has spina bifida and lost his legs to a serious infection, said the ability to sell the charity magazine gave him a sense of worth.

"I've been working with these guys for nearly 14 years," he said. "It makes me feel like I'm actually doing something.

"If I wasn't, I'd be sitting at home looking at four walls going stir crazy."

On Monday, he relocated from Campbelltown to Wollongong.

"I needed a change in scenery," he said. "I hadn't been in this area for many years so I thought I'll go back to my old stomping ground.

"The public here are actually more polite."

While he might have a better experience with the locals, Mr Hartigan said the same couldn't be said for the region's disability infrastructure.

He said he'd encountered facilities, including train stations, without quality wheelchair access "more times than I'd like to count".

"It's very frustrating," he said.