Wheelchair user angry over access

AN ill wheelchair user who spent the last three weeks in hospital but who was discharged yesterday in time to vote had to sit outside the polling station for over an hour because he couldn’t gain access to the building.

Peter O’Shea had been an in-patient at Kerry General Hospital where he had major abdominal surgery.

However, his delight at being discharged quickly turned to anger when he discovered that there was no wheelchair access available at Lixnaw Convent Primary School where he was registered to vote in the Kerry North-Limerick West constituency.

“There was a step there that was at least six to eight inches in height and there was no way we could manage to get the wheelchair in, no matter what door or entry point we tried.

“I was furious and you would imagine that, in this day and age, the very least one could expect is to have a ramp available,” said the 38-year-old who has been using a wheelchair for three years.

Mr O’Shea, who lives close to the school in Lixnaw, said staff at the polling station had offered to manually lift him in but he refused as he is still suffering considerable pain and other side effects from the recent surgery.

“I’m in agony, to be honest. The doctor has me on antibiotics for the infection and there as no way I was going to put myself at risk like that,” he said. Mr O’Shea, who was accompanied to the polling station by his wife, Bernadette, said he was determined to exercise his democratic right but he had to wait outside for over an hour until a portable ramp was transported from Tralee, a journey of 16 miles.

He arrived at the polling station at 2.05pm but it was close to 3.15pm when he finally got to cast his vote.

“I was frozen with the cold but I was determined that I was going to have my say in the election as everybody should vote.

Mr O’Shea said every polling station in the country should be wheelchair accessible and many elderly people would also require ramps to assist them to gain access to and from the voting booths.

He said measures should be put in place to ensure it never happens again.