Awareness the key to access, says Jane
The 20-year-old from Dundalk, Co Louth, said access was still a major stumbling block for people with a disability - she was unable to enter a disco because she was in a wheelchair at the time.
“I find accessibility very frustrating. I walk 90% of the time with the aid of a walking stick and have no problem but when I have to use the wheelchair it is a completely different day out for me,” she says.
Jane, a social studies student at Inchicore College of Further Education in Dublin, said it was unfortunate that able-bodied people did not know enough about disability.
“Better education on the issue would create an awareness of the needs of disabled, such as a simple ramp or a wider door opening,” she added.
She recalled spending months in a wheelchair after fracturing her leg.
“It was just so frustrating having to get help all the time.”
Part of the problem was that able-bodied people felt uncomfortable about talking with disabled people about their needs for fear of upsetting them.
“The reason people fear people with a disability is because they don’t take time to understand,” she says.
Jane said it would have been impossible for her to attend her local secondary school if she had been confined to a wheelchair.
“Teachers do their best to accommodate everyone but that’s not always possible with an old building. Money should be provided to convert them because integration is very important for disabled people. Most of my friends are able-bodied,” she says.
Jane loves getting out and enjoying herself when she can.
After getting her diploma in social studies Jane is hoping to study for a degree in social science and, perhaps, work with, or on behalf of, disabled people when she qualifies.
“That’s just an idea. I have a long way to go yet,” she continued.
She always focuses on what she can do and not what she can’t.
“You have to focus on your ability and not your disability.”
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