Disabled people’s social lives limited by inaccessibility

DISABLED people are less likely to visit friends, go to the pub or cinema, or take a holiday, a survey has shown.

The National Disability Authority (NDA) said a lack of accessibility to homes and venues was a key factor in preventing disabled people from enjoying the same social lives as those without disabilities.

The aim of the survey, carried out by TNS/MRBI on behalf of the NDA, was to gather information on the level of social inclusion and the well-being of people with disabilities.

It showed less than half of disabled people had gone out for a social occasion in the week before the survey was carried out, compared with almost two-thirds of non-disabled persons.

Twice as many disabled people as non-disabled had not visited family or friends in that week.

And almost half of all disabled people questioned did not take a holiday in the past year.

Disabled people receive visits as often as non-disabled persons do, the findings showed. But as a group, “their social lives are more limited, with fewer social outings or holidays than non-disabled people,” the researchers said.

Accessibility and transport are major issues. Almost a third of homes, for instance, have steps of some kind, which make difficult for wheelchair users to get into them.

One-in-five homes has no downstairs bathroom, the researchers said, making access to toilet facilities difficult for those who cannot manage stairs.

On the transport front, more than 50% of disabled people do not regularly drive a car, making them dependent on public transport. But 40% said inability to access public transport was a major problem, citing a lack of local services and difficulty both in getting to stops and stations and getting onto buses, trains and trams.

“The figures from this survey underline clearly the problems faced by people whose mobility is restricted in getting out and about,” said NDA chairperson Angela Kerins.

She said that while €10 million for each of the next four years had been allocated in the Budget to improve the accessibility of public places, the private sector needed to get involved, too.

“I would like to see the private sector making a serious effort to improve accessibility for pubs, cafes, restaurants and cinemas,” said Ms Kerins.