Is the institutionalisation of disabled people coming back? | Policy blog

Philip Barton lives in Birkenhead in an M4(3) wheelchair user home owned and managed by a housing association. Below Philip shares his experience of living in an M4(3) home, and some of the issues surrounding a lack of wheelchair user homes.

You mentioned in your emails that you’re working from home. How long have you enjoyed a hybrid/ remote job?

Since 2003 – it’s really the only option for many disabled people.

Where do you work?

Like many disabled people, I’m self-employed. I’ve worked as a chartered town planner and managed to build a successful business, with my own employees and private clients. I’m very happy at work.

What are the benefits of living and working in a wheelchair user home?

What first comes to mind is the space to move around easily. I often tripped because of a lack of space. I also have my care provided in a comfortable spacious environment. Where I used to live was not designed for wheelchair users at all, so when I furnished the rooms, there was little space for people to come in and deliver my care. However, in my home, I have an adapted kitchen, wet room and garden. Having a garden through the pandemic was a really good thing for my mental health. I’ve always spent a lot of time in my garden, growing a lot of fruit and veg. It’s very important to be in the garden and potter around and quickly feel a lot better. The herbs, chervil and sage, have done very well this year.

Is your garden accessible?

It has paving slabs so I can go outside. But the grass, on the lawn, I can’t go on in my wheelchair when it’s wet – only when it’s dry.

What’s the most useful adaptation in your home?

The most useful adaptation is a little built-in table in my kitchen. If I pull out the little table, I can transfer dishes from the oven to the little table and then on to the countertop; it means I don’t have to lift the dish from the oven to the countertop with no break in between. It’s very simple, and I use it often as it means I can use the oven more safely.

Have you always lived in a home which suits your needs?

It’s been 21 years since I moved into my home. Before that, I lived in homes that disabled me.

How much of a difference has a wheelchair user home had on your wellbeing, and life in general?

It’s had a huge effect. I can work very productively from home and so have an income. I can employ people directly and retain them which is great. My home is in a very convenient location, near to three busy train stations, some shops and a bus stop, so that helps to attract good staff.

Something I don’t take for granted is the space in my house. Not only has it stopped me tripping, but it also means I can use better technologies. For instance, for my job, I need an all-terrain electric wheelchair, which takes up a lot of space. Because there’s a dedicated wheelchair charging area directly behind my front door, I can charge and store my all-terrain wheelchair there, without interfering with the way I use the rest of the space in my home. The design of my house literally impacts how I get around and the way I can do my job.

It’s not just what’s inside but outside too. There’s room outside my property to park my large VW Transporter. The space has a car port and is designated as my parking spot. The careful thought that went into planning the built environment needs to extend to more than just the house.

What are your concerns about the future of wheelchair user homes?

It’s much more difficult to persuade landlords to replace equipment these days. I was annoyed at having to pay for an occupational therapist report (costing several hundred pounds) to have my kitchen upgraded to the same accessibility level as when I first moved in. My home is no longer classified as specialist housing, but general housing. When I move away, my home probably won’t be used by another wheelchair user. A concern of mine is that there are a lot of hidden wheelchair user properties being reclassified as general needs housing by social landlords.

Worryingly, there seems to be a desire, driven by planning, to go back to the institutionalisation of disabled people, and an abandonment of the idea of integrated living.

In the late 1990s, the government and local councils were experimenting with social integration and inclusion. The area I live in was a product of visionary planning policy for more social cohesion. I believe the government of the day were trying to create more mixed communities and we need to return to those policies. I’m lucky - I get on very well with my neighbours, and it saddens me that recent policy fails to recognise that mixed communities benefit society."