Wheelchair user homes: Accessibility gives me independence and freedom | #ForAccessibleHomes News

Nick Bishop is a Communications Officer at disability charity Leonard Cheshire and a full-time wheelchair user. Below he discusses the importance of his wheelchair user home, how it enhances his life and why disabled people need such homes.

My accessible home is important to me as it helps me do the things I want to do in my life, and to get the support I need.

I have an adapted, wheelchair accessible flat in Poole, Dorset, with 2 bedrooms – one for me and one for a personal assistant (PA). I have cerebral palsy and I have 24-hour support needs, so I have someone with me day and night.

Looking for more independence

I moved out of my parents’ accessible bungalow in December 2015 at the age of 28. Apart from a brief time away at university, I’d lived with my parents all my life. I got on well with my mum, dad and younger brother (I still do!) and they have always been very supportive. I felt I needed more independence.

When I graduated from university, I knew that my parents would be happy to help out again. I had support for just a few hours during the day from a fantastic PA. When I was living with my parents, that’s the way we wanted it – mostly family time.

But I knew that eventually, I wanted my own space. Ideally, I wanted to live close to my family, friends, my local football team (AFC Bournemouth), and some restaurants and pubs too. I didn’t want to rely on my parents to drop me off at the pub or a gig. Although they were always helpful, I felt like I was disrupting their plans. I was looking for the chance to do what I wanted, when I wanted.

My social worker knew I needed full-time care. My care budget includes a direct payment from my local council, topped up by a central government scheme called Access to Work. Together, this funds what is currently a live-in care package. I started having full-time PAs in the months before I moved. This really helped to ease the transition.

My search for an accessible home

Of course, finding a wheelchair accessible property is not easy. I looked at wheelchair accessible social housing and explored some private properties and found very little that would be suitable for me with a large powerchair.

In 2014 I was offered one wheelchair accessible social housing property in Dorset. This was a fair distance away from my friends and family. And the rooms were tiny. I barely had space to swing my wheelchair around. I was lucky, in the end, to find a ground floor flat in Poole. Although it had bigger rooms and plenty of potential, it would need adapting.

Adapting my new home

The flat, built in the early 1960s, was made accessible thanks to a council-approved Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). We widened all doorways, removed the front step and installed electronic door openers at the entrance so I could get in and out of the property myself. The DFG also allowed me to extend the bathroom by knocking through into the adjacent storage room, creating a large wet room with a level access shower.

Quite understandably, the DFG gives funds only for basic replacements for flooring, tiling and redeoraction. If the client wants something different, as I did, they can top it up with their own funds and purchase other items.

How my home helps me

I can get in and out of my home independently and I can move around easily. I can have a wash easily in my level-access bathroom. I have a profiling electric bed. My height-adjustable desks help me to read and, crucially, to work at a comfortable height.

I have a smart plug controlled by an Alexa voice assistant, which allows me to switch on and switch off devices like fans without asking my PA. If I were buying my house now, I’d make sure my heating, lighting and blinds could be controlled by voice too!

Some friends, who are also wheelchair users, have their kitchen adapted too. Although for me that wouldn’t be needed – I don’t have the dexterity to cook, prepare food or wash up (I leave that to my PAs). For those who can and do cook, it is another godsend. 

I have two pubs on the street next to me with a level entrance, accessible loos and, crucially, great beer. This played a big part in me making the offer.

Being able to do the things I need and want to do in my accessible home – and having that independence – is so important for me. It’s been a big boost for my mental health.

Fortunate position

When I signed the papers for my property in October 2014, I’d saved up for the deposit with income from my part-time job. I did not have enough cash on my own and my family helped with some of the deposit. I fully appreciate that I am in a fortunate position. I found a property that I could afford (with family help). I found a property with large rooms that I could adapt and make accessible.

I fully appreciate that since 2014 it has become even more difficult for everyone nationwide to afford housing. The issue is even more acute for disabled people, still typically on lower incomes, who are looking for accessible housing.

Chronic shortage of accessible homes

Properties that start off being wheelchair accessible are still incredibly rare. Across England and Wales, only London has any mandatory targets for building new wheelchair accessible properties.

That’s why at Leonard Cheshire, we fully back each crucial recommendation from Habinteg’s report, A Roadmap for Accessible Housing

We’re pleased to join Habinteg’s call to make sure all local authorities set a target for the building of new wheelchair accessible homes (due to building regulations, these are also called “M4(3) homes”).

We agree that local authorities must receive sufficient resources from central government to complete a needs assessment; moreover, local authorities must consult disabled people while doing this.

We agree that the Planning Inspectorate should reject any local plan that fails to specify a number or proportion of wheelchair accessible homes to be built.

We need more accessible homes

Even today, in 2023, I know only a couple of disabled people who live in a wheelchair accessible home of their own – two good friends from university. One lives in a privately-owned property; the other recently moved into to an accessible social housing property. It came after years of waiting and spells living in inaccessible accommodation, which affected their mental health.

I’ve met many more disabled people who want to live in an accessible home. But at the moment, it’s not an option. I know I’m fortunate to have my own wheelchair accessible home, but I should not be an example of an exception.