The social and family connections that we all need | #ForAccessibleHomes News

There are some people that you meet in life that make a fundamental impact on your values and beliefs. My friend Dave is one of those people.

I first met him when we both worked in an East London Jobcentre (more years ago than I care to admit). He was the same age as me, was always game for social events, and liked much of the same music. We got on really well. Over the years that we worked together (two different job centres, and then later at Scope, the disability charity) I discovered that he has the ability to generate a sociable atmosphere and bring people together by his very presence. He has always been an enriching person to know.

The other thing I became familiar with was the difficulty he had getting around, in and out of places, as a full time wheelchair user. Social outings would be routinely researched with enquiries about the accessibility of this pub or that night club. As our group of friends got to know each other better visiting each-others’ homes became a thing. For a while, the 7^th floor council tower block flat where I lived was OK – accessed by lift and level throughout. Though using the small box-shaped loo was slightly undignified, luckily Dave was able to negotiate it without major mishap. Other friends’ homes were trickier. Sometimes the lads in the group would carry Dave in his chair up several flights to reach a 3^rd or 4^th floor flat. Of course they were quite willing to do this, but looking back the whole escapade was riddled with risk and compromise.

Luckily Dave’s own home was a place we could always retreat to. It had everything he needed: just add mates. A purpose built wheelchair accessible flat, it had two bedrooms, low level kitchen work tops (though he rarely cooked), wheelchair standard bathroom and level access to the garden. Many a happy Saturday was spent whiling away a hangover together at Dave’s place after an ‘overly sociable’ Friday night.

So it was natural to me that when I moved house I looked for ground floor, level access and ground floor bathroom. Why would I want anything less than equal access for one of my best friends? Plus my brother’s partner had been using a wheelchair more and more frequently due to a variable health condition, I wouldn’t want her to be excluded from my home either.

It was then that I encountered the ignorance of estate agents (‘Isn’t this place with eight steps to the front door good enough? Oh…’). I also discovered the low number of accessible homes on offer. In the end I got lucky with a ground floor conversion flat that would ‘just’ do the job.

My next move a few years later had another imperative as I’d gained another wheelchair user to my family: my new (now late) mother in law. Plus we had the fun and games of my toddler daughter’s buggy to think about. This move to the place where we still live, required more compromise. Our home has level access once inside the front door, and we’ve made changes to provide a level access shower in our bathroom, but we have two un-avoidable steps up to the front porch. So unfortunately we’re back to the old chair-lifting shenanigans if one of our wheelchair user friends comes to visit.

At Habinteg we talk a lot about the importance of an accessible home as a fundamental building block for disabled people’s lives. A factor that enables people to engage in employment or study alongside non-disabled peers.

But my commitment to creating a world of more accessible homes has always been rooted in the social and family connections that we all need. The support and encouragement that I’ve received from my friends and family over the years has seen me through the many ups and downs of life. That I might have lost out on key moments in these relationships because of physical barriers presented by my home is unthinkable.

So as I reflect on the times when access has counted in my life, my resolve becomes firmer than ever. I’m not prepared to compromise on my belief that new homes should be more accessible, adaptable and inclusive. The minimal cost of making this so provides the priceless opportunity for people to build and maintain relationships that count – whether it’s your elderly grandma, your neighbour, your work mate or your best mate – you never know when you will need a friend. 

Thanks Dave.

Christina McGill is Head of Communications at Habinteg. You can find her on Twitter @HabintegMcGill.

#ForAccessibleHomes day is Friday 8 September 2017. Join the conversation on social media @Habinteg and search #ForAccessibleHomes.