A recent experience of a well-known Illawarra resident has highlighted the obstacles people with disabilities continue to face in accessing public spaces that many people take for granted.
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Professor Justin Yerbury, a motor neurone disease researcher who himself has the degenerative disorder and uses a power wheelchair, attended Wollongong Town Hall last weekend to see comedian Ben Elton after receiving tickets for his birthday.
But his experience at the venue was far from ideal.
"As we always do when we plan to go out, we make several phone calls to organise and plan," Prof Yerbury said.
"This was no exception. Both my mother-in-law and my wife made calls to ensure I could have the provisions I need.
"However, when we got there, I didn't have enough space for my chair... So I had to sit in the walkway.
"Our request for a disabled space resulted in them removing a single chair.
"Despite the planning, my wife and nurse were not even seated next to me, but were in front. Luckily the people who were seated next to me swapped seats."
He had also noted issues with the parking and space within the lift to accommodate his power wheelchair.
"Not having the same experience as able bodied people can be stressful and humiliating. Especially when the response to a request for access is to put you in the walkway," Prof Yerbury said.
In response, the chief executive officer of Merrigong Theatre Company, which operated the Town Hall, said the organisation had contacted Prof Yerbury to learn more how they could improve.
"We have lots to learn, and are committed to improving the patron experience," Simon Hinton said.
Mr Hinton said the organisation had measures in place to ensure people with a disability could enjoy its events, including hearing augmentation at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, live captioning and audio descriptions at select performances, and performances for those who would benefit from a more relaxed environment, among others.
Dr Shane Clifton, another Illawarra resident who uses a power wheelchair, said physical accessibility was still an issue in many places.
He said train stations in his area, around Coledale, were not wheelchair accessible and many shops still had a step at the entrance.
"You see a step as an entrance to a building, where we see a step as a barrier to entrance to the building," Dr Clifton said.
Physical accessibility was not only an issue affecting wheelchair users, he said, but those who were ageing, those who used a walker, and even those with prams.
He believed accessibility was still an issue because for many people, it was something they simply did not pay attention to.
It was also an issue that some thought of as affecting only a small number of people, Dr Clifton said, but making the world a more inclusive space helped many.
"People need to think about disability not as a marginal issue," Dr Clifton said.
Accessibility was about more than the physical too, he said - it was about attitudes, and how welcoming spaces were for people of all shapes, colours and abilities.
A spokesperson said Wollongong City Council was committed to improving accessibility across the city, from venues and facilities to pathways and its website.
The council launched its Disability Inclusion Action Plan in 2016, the spokesperson said, and spoke to people with a disability in developing its new plan.
The council is now seeking feedback on its review of the chapter on accessibility in its development control plan.
Following Prof Yerbury's experience, the spokesperson said, the council was investigating how it could improve parking around the Town Hall in the short term before an audit next financial year.
Prof Yerbury said he'd had positive experiences at other venues in Wollongong, with the Hawks and WIN Entertainment Centre providing great access.
He said simple accommodations had a big impact on how people with a disability experienced a night out.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
